The Crystal Magicians Saga: Book 1- Reincarnation
by Anime's Angels
Summary: 18 shows. 5 girls. 1 cause. Five ordinary girls take up the challenge of saving an entire dimention, while coping with survival in a strange new world. They must over come all obstacles to save a land of fantasy, a land where they become something greate
1. The Author(s)/Chara/Misc Notes (Must rea...

Crystal Magicians  
Book One: Reincarnation  
By: Anime's Angels  
Notes:  
  
Hi...uhm, Keila stuck me with this so, here I try. Huh.  
Well...sorry if its long:  
  
Almost six months ago, as I finished Jupiterstar's current  
IS on her mailing list, I started one on my own. Cat and  
Keila really helped the idea get started - Flossie as well  
though not as much. I invited a RL friend - Caelia - to   
join us. The five of us started on a wonderful mythical  
story, which I layed most of the ground work for (not with  
out help of course) and it took off. Of course, Jupiterstar  
came over, and we were set.  
  
We tried to incorporate as much anime as possible and as the  
saga grows it can only increase. We took stuff from the  
extremely popular to the more unheard of. This is supposed  
to be different than any crossover you have seen. Different  
than most OC's you've seen.  
  
This was written to the best of our ablities and as a testiment  
of what peoples imaginations can dream up if given the chance.  
I feel that through this we have accomplished to do what most  
video games, TV shows, and other forms of "entertainment" can  
not - we have continued to think, to provoke thought. Writting  
is away to "unleash your soul" as they say here and I can not  
think of a better group with which to do it (all angels included,  
not just the writters on this story).  
  
Okay, I'm done being sappy. I really hope you like it - we  
are writting yet another book anyways, so it doesn't matter.  
Read, enjoy, and respond.  
  
We all "Love ya Lots" as the other girls say (taken from,  
me, of course ^_^)  
  
So, LyL, and enjoy  
  
Chiriru ^_^  
The Kawaii Angel  
  
Creator: Chiriru "Kawaii Angel"  
Main Editor: Keila "Lady Angel"  
Writers: Chiriru, Keila, Ariel "Otaku Angel", Flossie "Procrastinating   
Angel", Jupiterstar  
"Annoying Angel", and Setsuna Kaze "Insane Angel"  
Anime/Video Games: Ronin Warriors, Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, Tenchi,   
Dragonball Z, Soul  
Calibur, Fatal Fury, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Street Fighter, Vision of   
Escaflowne, Card Captor  
Sakura, Digimon, Pokemon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Ranma «, Rurouni Kenshin,   
Revolutionary  
Girl Utena.  
  
Notes:  
  
  
Definitions and Descriptions:  
Queits:  
  
The 21:  
1. Sapphire - Unicorn - Sapphirine - Cherri - ring - Life  
2. Amethyst - Dragon - Amethy - JJ - pendant - Thunder and Light  
3. Emerald - Griffin - Emara - Cat - charm bracelet - Earth  
4. Ruby - Phoenix - Rubia - Ariel - necklace - Fire  
5. Amber - Pegasus - Amber - Aurora - gauntlets - Air  
6. Alexandrite - Centaur - Alrite Morkela - glove adornment -  
7. Aquamarine - Cerebus - Aquine Gontik - belt buckle -  
8. Turquoise - Sea Serpent - Quo Wolkd - arm band -  
9. Peridot - Fairy - Pera - Lauren - earrings -  
10 - 11. Diamond, Cubic Zirconia - Sprite, Nymph - Dia and Zirca Sikwe -   
tight bracelet, loose  
bracelet -  
12. Tourmaline - Chimera - Torum Hyceni - necklace -  
13. Topaz - Gargoyle - Tapoz Frinq - amulet -  
14. Onyx - Panther - Onxy Kwena - brooch - Darkness  
15. Bloodstone - Manticore - - claw ring -  
16. Moonstone - Sphinx - - tiara -  
17. Berylite - Hydra - - chain belt -  
18. Olivine - Eagle - - bracelet -  
19. Hematite - Cat - - necklace -  
20. Obsidian - Wolf - - earring -  
21. Aventurine - Fox - - ring -  
  
Crystal Magicians  
Book One: Reincarnation  
By: Anime's Angels  
Profiles  
  
Name: Ariel Lynn Sasaoka  
Creator: Ariel "Otaku Angel"  
Age: 16  
Height: 5'2"  
Weight: Do I have to answer this?  
Hair: Brown, shoulder length  
Eyes: Hazel  
Grade: 10th  
Sign: Libra  
Hobbies: Martial arts (judo mostly), playing the bassoon, scuba diving,   
swimming, going hot guy  
watching, shopping with friends, and meditating  
Stone and Metal: Ruby, gold  
Form Of: Necklace  
Mythical Animal: Phoenix,  
Weapons: Bo and Fan  
Heritage: Japanese/Irish  
Notes: Grandpa taught her how to use her bow, and her grandma taught her how   
to use the fan.  
Loves anything having to do with the country of Japan and wants to visit   
there really badly, is  
learning how to read her SM comics that are in all Japanese.  
  
Name: Aurora Dianne Johnson  
Creator: Flossie "Procrastinating Angel"  
Age: 16  
Height: 5'6  
Weight: 118  
Hair: Brown, shoulder length  
Eyes: Brown  
Grade: 11th  
Sign: Cancer  
Hobbies: Advanced languages, astrology, took gymnastics and ballet for 5   
years, mythology,  
volleyball, violin.  
Stone and Metal: Amber, gold  
Form Of: Gauntlets  
Mythical Animal: Pegasus, Indira  
Weapons: Shinobi Zue (It looks like a staff, until with a quick twist it   
protrudes a blade and is  
now a spear!) and Nunchuks  
Heritage: America; English, French, Swedish, German  
Notes: None  
  
Name: Cat MacLaren  
Creator: Setsuna Kaze "Insane Angel"  
Age: 15  
Height: 5' 8 «"  
Weight: 127 lbs  
Hair: Dark Red with lighter red highlights, mid-upper arm length  
Eyes: Forest Green  
Grade: 10th  
Sign: Pisces  
Hobbies: Kick boxing (has won lots of competitions), singing, writing   
poetry, drawing, boxing  
(purely for the added strength in her arms), running (100m dash is her   
specialty) and (when she's  
alone) playing the songs her grandmother taught her on the pan flute.  
Stone and Metal: Emerald, platinum  
Form Of: Charm Bracelet  
Mythical Animal: Griffin, Ezekiel  
Weapons: Staff and Shirukens  
Heritage: Scotland  
Notes: Cat speaks with a brogue though it's very faint now, it's most   
prominent when she's mad,  
agitated or is having an emotional outburst.  
  
Name: Cheron "Cherri" Marie Armstrong  
Creator: Chiriru "Kawaii Angel"  
Age: 16  
Height: 5'8"  
Weight: 135  
Hair: Golden brown/honey brown, almost waist length  
Eyes: Olive with a slight hazel ring  
Grade: 11th  
Sign: Virgo  
Hobbies: Flute and piccolo player in bands and orchestras (flute: 8 years,   
piccolo 4 years)  
gymnastics until 8 (remains flexible), Scholastic Bowl, 4, captain this   
year, WYSE 4, newspaper  
3, Key Club 2, volunteering - a life time  
Stone and Metal: Sapphire, silver  
Form: Ring  
Mythical Animal: Unicorn, Opala  
Weapons: Katana and Dagger  
Place of Origin: America (US) comes from UK, German, and Shawnee descents   
(with a little of  
Italian, French, Irish, and Spanish mixed in along the way).  
Notes: When she gets really angry -- watch out, she can get very violent and   
has a tongue like a  
sailor... cursing isn't something she does often but when she does... she   
has a large vocabulary.  
  
Name: Janis "JJ" Alina Hunter  
Creator: Keila "Lady Angel"  
Age: 18  
Height: 5'4"  
Weight: eheheheheheh... NO!  
Hair: Brown; waist length, straight  
Eyes: Forrest Green  
Grade: 12th  
Sign: Scorpio  
Hobbies: EMT, herbal and plant healing, Martial Arts since she was 7, guitar   
and flute playing,  
singing, designing and making clothes, shopping, guy watching, writing,   
reading, drawing,  
learning other languages.  
Stone and Metal: Amethyst, gold  
Form Of: Pendant  
Mythical Animal: Dragon, Taisanth  
Weapons: Sword and Ribbons  
Heritage: Irish, Scottish, British, Cherokee, Navajo  
Notes: Really big on her heritage, loves the mythology of those places and   
others.  
  
Name: Lauren Mitley  
Creator: Jupiterstar "Annoying Angel"  
Age: 16  
Height: 5'3"  
Weight: 107 lbs  
Hair: Light Brown, just above shoulders, hangs straight  
Eyes: Dark Brown  
Grade: 10th  
Sign: Leo  
Hobbies: Yoga, tinkering with machinery, sleeping.  
Stone and Metal: Peridot, silver  
Form: Earrings  
Mythical Animal: Fairy,  
Weapons: Bow and Arrow and Fencing Sword  
Heritage: Australia  
Notes: None  



	2. Part 1

  
Crystal Magicians  
Book One: Reincarnation  
By: Anime's Angels  
  
Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part One  
  
Cherri Armstrong chewed on her eraser. How could she put the finishing   
touches on this paper?  
As editor, she had to. But this wasn't looking very good. The columns   
where wrong, the pictures  
were fuzzy and they had been reduced to 1-dye from there printer.  
  
The hapless layout sheet of the next issue of The Patrical looked up at her.  
  
The Patrical. Who invented that?  
  
Probably the first editor. Combination of the Patriot, their mascot, and   
periodical. Truly, it was  
inventive.  
  
*But, really stupid,* Cherri had to add.  
  
Pulling out her long ponytail, she used the holder tp pull her hair into a   
tight bun atop her head.  
*One, two, three. There!* she thought as she secured her long and extremely   
fine hair.  
  
Bending over the layout again, she moved Charlie's article about the   
basketball team down, the  
picture of the champion wrestler up... but she wasn't satisfied.  
  
Mrs. Crone came over. "How's it going, Cherri?" the older lady asked   
looking at the sheet,  
impressed by the work.  
  
"Not good. We REALLY need those computers. Don't worry about the training,   
I could teach  
them, it's isn't hard and we wouldn't have to invest in rubber cement   
companies."  
  
The teacher's laughter wasn't the reaction Cherri wanted. "Cher, we don't   
have enough money.  
Even a school like us, outside of 150 can't get that type of funding. And   
well, you already know  
the rest."  
  
Cherri knew alright. Stupid district 150 had grown so big, they squashed   
the medium sized  
school in comparison. Ah well. She would keep pushing. She wanted those   
computers. Heck,  
she would BUILD a computer if it meant that she would never have to look at   
another style sheet.  
  
*Ring!*  
  
*Oh, boy study hall. Woohoo. At least I have Mrs. Miller this year.*  
  
Mrs. Miller, history teacher extrordinaire, was already grooming Cherri as   
her teacher's aide next  
year, and Cherri graded a lot of sophomore and freshman papers. In fact,   
she spent most of her  
study hall doing so.  
  
When she went to lunch, her hands where red. She didn't think she could   
take another week  
running around like this. She put her hands back to her head, taking out   
her now sloppy bun and  
pulling it back into a tight pony tail.  
  
Or she tried until..*Twang!*  
  
Looking at the woven cotton/elastic holder, she noticed the metal clasp that   
usually held the two  
ends together had broke, leaving her with all her hair and no way to tie it   
back.  
  
*Great. Just great.*  
  
She dug down into her lunch. *'Maybe mom snuck something in....*  
  
"Hey Cherri!"  
  
"Hi Aurora! I heard you and *Ben* both got accepted to that state string   
thing."  
  
"Oh, the IMEA, yeah... why didn't you try?"  
  
"Didn't feel like getting another rejection letter. Oo! Cheesecake!   
Thanks Mom!" Cherri said,  
pulling out a wide slice of the dessert with cherries on top.  
  
"Cher, your always complaining about how fat you are but you keep eating!"   
Aurora exclaimed.  
"And don't give me that 'I'm just no good exercise' because we used to   
practice together."  
  
"Yes, your Miss Professional, and I'm Miss Leave-me-Alone, I'm eating me   
cheesecake. And,  
I've decided that if your mom baked like mine dose then you would be   
complaining about your  
weight to."  
  
"Speaking of desserts...."  
  
"No! It's mine! Ooo..." her voice dropped, "Aurora... lookie at the   
beefcake!"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Doorway, second on the left!"  
  
"Yum."  
  
*Ring!*  
  
The two made disappointed faces.  
  
"Ror, see ya after class? I heard that Children's Castle has some new lion   
plushies."  
  
"You're just doing this because you love cats and Best Buy is next door!   
And because you don't  
have a license yet."  
  
"Please? Come one. You KNOW you want to buy them out!"  
  
She sighed. "Alright. 3, on the dot. Kay?"  
  
"Kay."  
  
Neither of them knew, that they would never even make it out of the school   
that day, let alone the  
shopping spree they had just planned.  
  
The 5'8" girl known as Cherri ran down the halls. She was going tech   
shopping! But she had to  
suffer through two more icky classes - Trig and Spanish 3. Yucky. At least   
she had Mr. Henz  
tomorrow.  
  
As a cluster of teens stopped in the hall way, the girl, slightly taller   
than average, wove in and out  
of the mess, reminding herself to yell as some freshman later. So what if   
she wasn't a senior?  
Okay, she was a junior, the youngest in her class... so what? And so what   
if her shoes added  
enough to top her off right at 5'8"? She was still 5'7.5" so, she was   
average.  
  
But she would be in trouble if she didn't make it to class.  
  
*Have to make it.... No staying after tonight.... Come on.... come on....   
Move! I'm gonna be late!  
Move it!*  
~~~~~~~~  
"Relena! Come on, if they are coming... we have to lea.. now...."  
  
"Got it. Your breaking up. Meet you at the rendezvous point," the   
Peacecraft princess answered  
before turning to her friends. "You got that guys? We have to move... NOW.   
Most of the  
people have already been shipped from the colonies to Mars, Io, or this   
colony, and we have to  
see what we can do for Earth. I only hope we can make it."  
  
Heero got up and looked at her. Some thing flashed. Then he boarded, with   
the other pilots  
behind him, Dorothy, Hilde, and finally Relena. Zechs and Noin where planet   
side and Sal and  
Une where dealing with the people on Mars. The Lunar colony where they   
where one wasn't as  
full as Mars or Io... but she hoped that THEY couldn't harm the people. It   
was time.  
  
"Sere.... Sere come in," she said, calling on her vidphone.  
  
"Serena here."  
  
"Cus', we're off the Lunar base and are in route to Earth. How long?"  
  
"The girls say that most of the population has been moved to Io, almost   
three weeks ago. But  
that still leaves almost a million. It seems that these are willing to   
fight, and there families have  
taken shelter underground, safe... for the moment."  
  
"Thanks. Say hi to the girls for me...and to you boyfriend."  
  
"Darien? Sure. You guys get your butts down here though. I think the boys   
may have a bit of a  
surprise in store for them. Serena, over and out."  
  
The pilots stared at Relena's militaristic style as she quickly dialed   
another number. She was fast  
and furious... putting this together as quickly as possible.  
  
"Come on Mia... pick up... pick up" she muttered under her breath.  
  
When the brunette finally did, all the Foreign Minister could see was chaos   
on the habit of Io.  
  
"Ree! The boys stayed on earth. Anubis had a premonition... we may have to   
fight them off in  
droves. But, I think we have some others who would rather duke it out back   
home, so to speak.  
And we have found some rather interesting artifacts. A cave, a sword, and   
what appears to be  
some new allies. Here, I'm transmitting the communication codes. Her name   
is Ayeka and she  
might be able to pull out some big guns for us. Also, on the info you've   
given me...."  
  
"The technology seems to be organic. Self healing. And there weapons are   
far greater than the  
power of Wing's buster cannon. I think all those abductions... from all   
those exploratory  
missions... I fear that I know where the those people are... or what they   
have become. I *need* a  
ship to analyze...."  
  
Mia hung her head, and sighed. "We thought that the war of 195 AC was bad.   
We fought Talpa,  
Chaos, Beryl... separately, we all had our own battles. But I don't know   
how much magic, or  
science or luck it will take to beat Them back...."  
  
Relena's voice was strong and powerful. "But we *will* drive them back.   
They CANNOT win!  
I won't allow it. And if They even TRY to blow up something..." her eyes   
flashed dangerously,  
hand moving down to a small transformation pen, "I will make them pay....   
Mia, we can't lose."  
Her voice dropped. "For if our plans fail, the Earth, our solar system...   
life as we know it... is  
doomed."  
  
"How long?"  
  
"Sere doesn't know yet. What I do know is that Pluto has gone looking into   
the time and space  
stream and beyond to find help. I only hope that every thing can come   
together.... Relena out."  
  
"Roger."  
  
The blonde slumped against her chair. She was tired. Just as one of her   
party start to speak, the  
captain came in saying something about stowaways.  
  
Before she could move, a boy with black hair, a girl with a pendent, plus   
some more of there  
group came forward, and another group of 10-year olds came from another   
entrance. The  
teenage, black haired boy came up.  
  
"I'm Van Fannel, and this" he said putting a hand on the smallest girl, "is   
Sakura Avalon. And  
we are here to help."  
  
Despite the situation, Relena smiled, noting the similarities between Van,   
Heero, and Trowa.  
"Welcome, well... I guess we all have some explaining to do."  
************  
Janis Hunter, JJ, dodged students left and right as only she could. Her   
books were clasped firmly  
to her chest and she bit the inside of her bottom lip in concentration as   
she headed for class,  
Spanish 3. After taking all the French and German classes the school had   
all she needed now  
was Spanish. *If only I had time to work on my Japanese and Chinese studies   
more! I'm  
_nearly_ fluent in them!* she thought as she entered the class room.  
  
The 5'4" 18 year old senior headed straight for Cherri and Aurora's desks   
and crouched down  
next to them. "Sorry I wasn't at lunch ladies," she greeted with a friendly   
smile, "I had the dentist  
to see."  
  
Cherri smiled. "We know," she said.  
  
"You were complaining about it for ages!" Aurora whined.  
  
JJ just grinned sheepishly. "I did, didn't I?"  
  
"Hey! We're going shopping after school! Care to join us?" Cherri asked.  
  
"Shopping! I'm there!" JJ exclaimed grinning widely. Besides making her   
own clothes, the  
brunette liked shopping and had wonderful, if sometimes odd, taste. Right   
now she wore an  
outfit she made herself. The ankle length linen skirt had slits on each side   
up past her knees and  
outlined in violet designs and a top also made of linen, long sleeved,   
tight, outlined in the same  
violet designs, with slits up the sides partway, and a V-neckline. Above   
the ankle boots covered  
her feet and her long brown hair was pulled into a high pony tail with the   
crown braided.  
  
"Can you drive?" Aurora asked. She moved away from Cherri. "My cars in the   
shop."  
  
"What?!" Cherri demanded. "You said...!"  
  
"I got a note in my last class saying my dad took the car after he heard odd   
noises from the engine  
and put it in the shop."  
  
"Oh."  
  
JJ laughed. "Yeah I'll drive us," she said. The bell rang and she got to   
her feet. [See you after  
class!] she said in Spanish as she moved to her seat in the back.  
  
She listened patiently to the teachers lesson, which seemed to be more   
boring then anything  
before, but her eyes kept creeping to her watch, wanting to get out of there   
and be anywhere but  
there. Anywhere....  
************  
Cherri looked at her watch... then at JJ in the back of her Spanish class,   
then her watch again,  
then Aurora, then her watch.  
  
Time was in slow motion, it seemed. Could Senora do anything more to make   
it stop?  
  
*No,* thought Trista Meiou, a.k.a. Sailor Pluto, *but I can.*  
  
And soon, she would make good on her threat.  
  
Cherri couldn't believe it. They surely didn't need to go through pronouns   
again. She ran her  
fingers through her long goldish hair, the silky strands all the way from   
the top of her head to the  
middle of her back... well almost the small if she trimmed it and waited for   
it to grow again.  
  
The back of her head was still damp from the shower this morning. She noted   
that she needed to  
go to Sally's beauty supply and pick up more conditioner. And talk to her   
chem and English  
teachers, and finish her band stuff, and key club, and PE testing was next   
week, and the paper....  
  
Suddenly laying her arms on her desk, Cherri crashed her head on her desk.   
She mentally scolded  
herself. *Why do I have to be in so many things?* Of course, without a hair   
tie the silk mass  
followed, flowing over he shoulders and down in front of her head. The   
space heat wasn't on,  
and despite her raspberry sweater and her light blue flared jeans, she was   
freezing.  
  
*Probably has to do with this wet hair.*  
  
JJ, threw Aurora a wondering look. Aurora shrugged. She sure didn't know   
what was wrong.  
  
"Teresa! Isabel! Is there something you would like to share? No habla   
espanol en el clase, el  
maestro es instruir!"  
  
"Si, senora Gibbons" JJ and Aurora answered. Usually, she was pretty nice,   
but today she was  
being a real bitch.  
  
"Mercedes? Cherri? Cherri, are you okay?"  
  
Aurora shifted out of her seat, rolling up her shirt sleeves, "Cher, are you   
okay?"  
  
A pair of olive eyes looked back, "I feel really weird and exhausted."   
Giving her best groan and  
puppy look to the teacher, she laid back down.  
  
"Aurora, Janis, could you escort Miss Armstrong to the nurse station?"  
  
"Yes ma'am"  
~~~~~~~~  
Duo didn't quite get it. They where about to land too. What WHERE they.   
Rele didn't have a  
name. But what they did know was that they have pinpoint accuracy and they   
killed to conquer  
inferior races... species. SOMEHOW, they had crossed some border and was   
invading their  
galaxy.  
  
This didn't make sense, why here? Why now?  
  
Well, at least they had more than one form of back up. Escaflowne was   
hidden in the docking  
bay, and they had another psychic, plus some girl who could control forces.  
  
This was getting a little to weird for him.  
  
"Serena!"  
  
"Relena!"  
  
The pilots noticed how the girls immediately started making plans, and how   
similar they where.  
The cousin, Serena, had changed her hair, now up in a pony tail instead of   
odangos with a man at  
her side. There faces lit up and paled at similar points of conversation,   
while the man made his  
way over to the vehicle.  
  
"My name is Chiba Darien. I'm supposed to show you around the camp."  
  
Heero glanced at Relena.  
  
"She will be fine. Like Serena and their other cousin, Mina, she has power   
that none of you can  
conceive."  
  
"What do you mean power?" Trowa asked warily as he saw the Vice-Foreign   
Minister escorted  
away with another blonde and a girl with hair blacker than Darien's.  
  
"You'll see please, come with me."  
  
He escorted them to a small room. "I know these aren't your originals, but   
when we went for the  
original plans, we couldn't find them. However we found what would have   
been the upgraded  
models. The 'Custom' models."  
  
"What does this mean?" WuFei asked.  
  
"It means, we have our Gundam's back," Heero said gazing down at the new   
Wing.  
~~~~~~~~  
Relena looked at her friends... well... her cousin's friends. Hilde and   
Dorothy had been ushered  
in as well. Relena grasped her transformation stick tighter. She didn't   
want to do this. She had  
no choice.  
  
Hilde and Dorothy had both been given suits, much greater than a Leo or   
Virgo, though. Like  
stealth Gundams. Each was outfitted in some simple space suits like those   
of the pilots (cut for  
women and different colors) and had guns.  
  
Hitomi had been lead in as well and was talking with Rei, trying to seek out   
the enemy. Mia and  
Catherine where coming to incorporate stealth tech into the senshi, and now   
Relena's powers.  
  
"Rel! Come here. I want to introduce you to one of the best mecha   
designers, Bulma."  
  
*Bulma? What kind of name is that?* The girl with turquoise hair waved and   
continued to build  
helpful machines. If she recognized correctly, she was one of the few who   
brought many others  
down to Earth to help fight. Relena was both sickened and happy.  
  
"Oh, Sere! I almost for got! Mia gave me these codes. Some princess   
across the galaxy wants to  
help us, I think her name was Ayeka."  
  
"Great! The moon princess, the earthen princess, the court, Ayeka... how   
many princesses is  
that?"  
  
"As long as we can win...."  
  
Serena placed a reassuring hand. "I know you miss him, but we have to   
keeping on, if not for  
ourselves, then for others. Darien's gonna be fighting in a mech as well   
and we will be there to  
back them up. We figure on one senshi, psychic, or what not per 3 ships and   
we will be fine. If  
not, will just do it on our own. We haven't trained every way for nothing."  
  
"I know, but doesn't the fact that we are looking our existence right in the   
eye bother you? I  
know it does."  
  
"Well, that's why we where given this power, to save. Wanna practice?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Moon... Crystal... Power!"  
  
"Earth... Crystal... Power!"  
  
The pilots looked down in time to see the cousins change before there very   
eyes and begin a  
training technique.  
  
Heero was amazed..."Relena....."  
~~~~~~~~  
Cherri stopped them half way to the office. "Guys, I'm okay. Really, I   
just felt weird."  
  
"Weird enough to cut class?" JJ asked.  
  
"Everyday is a good day to cut class!" Cherri quipped, smiling broadly...   
before gripping her  
temples and falling into a row of lockers.  
  
"Cherri!" Aurora cried, helping her up. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Never... been... better... got any Advil or something?"  
  
JJ nodded to her worried friend, and the pair hauled the taller one to her   
feet taking her up to the  
nurse.  
  
Something wasn't right, and they needed to figure out what.  
  
Sailor Pluto looked on, better her time.  
  
JJ helped the poor girl up the steps. Again. Cherri was looking   
progressively worse, and from  
the look on Aurora's face, she wasn't looking any better on that side   
either.  
  
Cherri hated nurses and doctors. Okay, she hated needles more. Her biggest   
fear probably would  
being 'needled' to death. But now, she didn't seem to care... just had to   
make it....  
  
Aurora looked at her friend, maybe even her best friend. Cherri's skin had   
lost most of it's  
natural peachy complexion, her eyes looked glazed and sunk in, not the   
blight glittering orbs that  
where usually there. Her form looked extremely frail, unlike the joyous   
girl scarfing down  
cheesecake at lunch hour.  
************  
Cherri, Aurora, and JJ were almost halfway to the nurse's office when they   
saw Ariel walking  
down the hall. She was immediately concerned when she saw Cherri and came   
running up to  
them. "Hey! Cherri, what's wrong?"  
  
Cherri gave her a small grin. "Just cutting class," she said in a small   
voice. Ariel gave her the  
'yeah right' look.  
  
"She doesn't feel that great. We're helping her to the nurse's office.   
What are you doing in the  
hall?" Aurora answered.  
  
"Mr. Coleman, my chem teacher, sent me on an errand to Mr. Calgaro the   
physics teacher. I'm  
on my way to class now. Need me to help?" she replied.  
  
"No, I think we got it. I'll tell you what happened later, as soon as we   
know," JJ said.  
  
"Okay. Cherri, get better!" Ariel yelled as she ran down to her chemistry   
class. She silently  
groaned as she entered, realizing that she missed half the lesson on   
chemical bonding. She sighed  
and just sat in her seat, becoming totally confused as he continued.  
************  
JJ finally guided the younger one into the office and convinced her to lay   
down. Cherri complied  
without hesitation. JJ Hunter quickly left, quietly shutting the door   
behind her to find anxiously  
awaiting Aurora Johnson awaiting her.  
  
"J? What's wrong? I mean, she's been sick before but never like this.   
This is almost like  
something is forcing her to be weak. Like and allergic reaction or   
something."  
  
"Rora, you know that the best thing is to hurry and find the nurse."  
~~~~~~~~  
Trista Meiou slipped into the office of Marquette Heights High. She   
addressed the secretary,  
"Hello, I'm Dr. Susan Setsuna, and I'm here to examine your facilities. You   
know the routine."  
  
"Sure thing, Dr. Setsuna. Right this way. I think Nurse Thomson has a   
patient a waiting her."  
  
Trista looked at the pale and feverish form of Cherri Armstrong as she   
entered the otherwise  
empty room. *This is one. Of how many?* Quickly, she took some readings   
with a scanner  
from some girl named Bulma, and another set from another mech designer -   
Washu. They came  
back positive....  
  
*How could she have been affected? These readings only show up in people   
who have been  
pilots inside of the organic tech... unless she's a telepath. That's it!   
These people have  
extraordinary gifts! She is probably the empathic girl. Do *they* have   
someone here? There  
isn't any choice. I have to move her *now* and collect the others. If I   
could get them out of this  
area, I could give her something that will help her transition. And I have   
to get the others out of  
here too.*  
  
Carefully, Trista picked up the silent form of Cherri Armstrong, lifting her   
heated body off the  
table and caring her to the door. If she could find the two who carried her   
here, she had a good  
chance of finding the majority of her help.  
  
But before she could move, the whole situation hit the fan.  
~~~~~~~~  
Aurora slagged down in her chair, feeling rather ill herself. It was so   
sudden. JJ looked  
curiously over to her companion, before feeling drained herself. Down in   
chemistry, Ariel  
seemed faint. Almost immediately, Nurse Thomson came in to the office   
asking multiple  
questions.  
  
Then she came storming into her office.  
  
"Who are you!"  
  
Cherri's head snapped up, suddenly surprised. *That* wasn't the nurse.   
Looking hard she  
realized something was different... something weird was going on.  
  
Trista tried her ID again, "I'm from the state, Dr. Susan Setsuna. This   
girl has strep throat and  
mono, she needs to be taken to the hospital... NOW!"  
  
"Your not taking her anywhere!" As the woman shouted her face morphed a bit   
showing that it  
wasn't human... but it wasn't clear enough to see what it was.  
  
The creature's eyes glowed an eerie red and she began her attack on Trista   
to get Cherri for some  
reason. When the sixteen year-old made the mistake of looking it in the   
eye, she let out a scream  
that echoed throughout the school.  
  



	3. Part 2

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Two  
  
JJ and Aurora looked up, seemingly at the same time. *Cherri!* They ran a   
few feet over to the  
station where Nurse seemed to be attacking another lady and Cherri was over   
in the corner,  
holding her head, crying and shrieking as only she could.  
  
Trista picked up a bottle of medicine, dumping it into the monster's eyes.   
The animal growled  
and morphed it's hand into some pincher like appendage.  
  
JJ wasted no time. She had to get Cherri out, and maybe help the green   
haired women. This  
thing wasn't normal. She did a quick round house kick, effectively knocking   
the creature down  
on it's back. She popped up, as did the alien being. A few well placed   
jabs, an undercut, and  
some un-describably kicks, she had pushed it further back, but still not   
enough that Aurora could  
get in.  
  
Aurora bid her time, getting just enough room, doing a double whip frontal   
flips into the now  
wrecked station. The glass was shattered, multiple substances flowing   
together. Cherri was still  
there clutching her forehead. "Cherri."  
  
No response.  
  
"Cherri. We have to get out of here," Aurora said half helping, half   
dragging the younger girl.  
How could she get out with out bumping into that THING?  
  
"Cher. You are going to do a simple round off back flip. Just like we used   
to. No spotter  
though. You have to make it. Come on."  
  
Cherri started back blankly.  
  
Aurora sighed. "Okay, one three we are going to jump over JJ and the...   
er... Nurse. One... two...  
three!"  
  
The pair went through a simple step hop jump maneuver before going over.   
Both turned in mid  
air. Aurora landed on her feet. Cherri hit the ground and kept rolling for   
a bit.  
  
The monster lifted a humongous hand and threw JJ right into a wall, finding   
her original target at  
once. Cherri looked up again, silent, fearful, and began to crawl backwards   
still looking at the  
bleeding beast.  
  
However, before it could corner her, Sailor Pluto stepped out... er...   
voiced out "PLUTO  
DEADLY SCREAM!" and the magenta energy pelted the thing into   
unconsciousness.  
~~~~~~~~  
Ariel ran up the steps. WHAT was that!! She had heard the scream and   
immediately headed  
from the bathroom towards it. *I really needed to wear sneakers some time!*   
she thought as her  
boots almost tripped her. Turning and swerving down the corridors, she   
thought she lost it when  
she reached the nurses station, only to find another one, a girl in a senshi   
suit, JJ limping with  
hot blood coming from her forehead, Cherri looking like she had aged about   
20 years, and  
Aurora discussing something with the aforementioned senshi.  
  
Some how, she realized that this would be a long day.  
  
"What's going on? JJ! Are you okay?" Ariel yelled as she ran into the   
office. "Did I miss WW3  
or something?"  
  
"It's nothing, just a scratch," JJ replied. Ariel grabbed some bandages and   
helped JJ clean the  
wound and bandage it quickly. After she walked to Cherri and leaned down   
next to her.  
  
"Hey. You okay?"  
  
"She was the one the monster was after," came a voice from behind her.  
  
Ariel turned to see it's was the senshi.  
  
"Who are you? I hate to tell you, but miniskirts I don't think are allowed   
in the school," she said..  
  
"She helped us out. Her name's Sailor Pluto," Aurora said.  
  
Ariel looked at both of them. "What exactly happened?" she asked Sailor   
Pluto.  
  
Aurora and JJ both looked at Ariel, then at Sailor Pluto.  
  
Sailor Pluto sighed.  
************  
Trista Meiou (of course, not to the girls), a.k.a. Sailor Pluto and Dr.   
Susan Setsuna, quickly  
contemplated her situation. The girls wanted answers to questions she   
couldn't answer herself.  
And there where only 4? Shouldn't there be more? There was a lot of   
problems... but first they  
had to get out of here.  
  
"Girls, we've gotta move. Get your stuff, quickly. Meet me up on the roof   
in ten," Trista said,  
detransforming. *That way I can prepare the serum and take some effects off   
that girl.*  
  
Aurora lead/pulled Cherri down to their locker hallways, JJ pushing from   
behind, and Ariel  
taking up the rear. Each hurried off to their lockers -- well besides   
Cherri who kind of just stood  
there.  
  
JJ looked in her locker mirror. Well, her skirt now had slits half way up   
her thighs, but the fabric  
was still intact so she could fix it at home. Quickly she threw her   
shoulder-styled dark green  
purse over her shoulder so it laid on her opposite hip. A long tan leather   
jacket followed, then  
her forest green (she refused to call it hunter green) knapsack. Lastly she   
grabbed her guitar case  
and started over to wait for the others.  
  
Ariel, other than being sort of shocked at what was actually going on,   
hurried up and grabbed her  
stuff - a lined jean jacket, a navy duffel bag, and her band stuff in   
another (this one black) duffle  
bag. Then quickly, realizing that she probably should actually put the   
jacket on, she laid her stuff  
down. Shoving one arm through, she bent down, grabbed the bags, and putt   
her other hand  
through. She went over to Aurora and Cherri, motioning JJ over.  
  
Aurora grabbed her stuff in record time, it seemed. Her violin case, a   
simple smokey black wool  
jacket, the white downy scarf, her small violet backpack. Then she went   
over to Cherri's locker,  
quickly opening it.  
  
JJ grabbed the oversized 3-1 coat, stuffing Cherri with her ripped sweater   
and jeans into the  
silver-grey jacket and the black polar fleece liner. *She still isn't   
talking,* she noted.  
  
Aurora grabbed the navy back pack (filled with stuff, no less) that Cherri   
always seemed to have,  
while Ariel searched for the lighter blue Mudd purse. Both, simultaneously,   
shoving the items  
on to her, took the younger (yet taller) one and started running up the   
stairs.  
~~~~~~~~  
Trista started the helicopter. There was another one... or where there two?   
Close... so close. She  
prepared the shot for Cherri. The amber liquid would reduce the memories   
for now, and help her  
deal with her new powers.  
  
The four teens shot up then, Aurora climbing in first, her sandals flopping   
and her scarf barely  
tied. Ariel came next her purple boots barely touching the ground as she   
leapt into the helicopter.  
Both where dragging a un-cooperative Cherri behind them.  
  
JJ came up behind the lot, her leather coat unbuttoned, saying something   
about another one of  
them Things. Her long hair, flying from her lose of a hair tie as well.   
She also jumped in.  
  
Cherri stood there. Trista got out her needle. Cherri's eyes expanded and   
she turned to run, but  
was faced with another creature. Cherri took the syringe and ran, up to the   
monster, stabbing him  
with the needle, pumping him full of the vaccine.  
  
It howled. It screamed. It slumped down.  
  
Cherri looked on blankly. "Come on!" Trista yelled, ushering Cherri into   
the chopper before it  
could wake up.  
  
Trista jumped in and started take off procedures. Once they are safely in   
he air, she turned to  
Cherri, riding shotgun, "Don't you know what you just did! It can absorb   
technology! Recreate  
it!"  
  
Ariel murmured in the back how it sounded like a Borg from Star Trek. JJ   
nodded in return.  
  
"I wouldn't worry about it. They don't have any ships here so they can't   
transfer the data. So  
your vaccine is safe... for now."  
  
"How can you tell that?" Trista demanded.  
  
"You learn a lot from someone when you go inside their head," Cherri   
whispered, squeezing her  
eyes shut as if to shut out the alien's memories.  
  
The girls in the back exchanged a worried glance. At least she had come out   
of her revery.  
  
"Anyway," she said softly, "I'm ready for my shot now." Cherri moved her   
hazel/olive eyes into  
Pluto's red ones, "Trista."  
************  
The senshi of time studied the girl that sat in front of her. She held a   
new needle in her hand and  
cleaned a small patch of skin. She zoned out for a few seconds to   
understand the new turns she  
would have to take. It wouldn't be as easy as she had originally thought it   
would.  
  
Green eyes bore into her as she carefully injected the liquid into Cherri.   
The others just watched  
on as her eyes swirled various shades of green and amber, and she fell back   
into the seat. The  
three in the back jumped forward, but were halted by the girl, 'Trista' as   
Cherri had called her.  
  
"She needs time for the injection to work its way through her system. In the   
meanwhile, I can fill  
you in on what's going on." She looked a bit wary of telling them all that   
she knew... but they  
needed to know SOMETHING.  
  
"Who are you really?" Ariel asked, watching the woman with green hair look   
at the floor. Her  
head slowly found its way up to look at them.  
  
"My name is Trista Meiou," she finished abruptly. Even though all she had   
said was her name,  
something had clicked in their minds. They sat there for several minutes,   
watching Cherri sleep  
and exchanging nervous glances.  
  
"What was it?" JJ asked suddenly, breaking the eerie silence. She felt the   
still-sore place on her  
head where the monster had injured her.  
  
Trista sighed. She knew this would come up sooner or later.  
***Begin Dream***  
Cherri's dream state was a mixed, convoluted mess. She could see the home   
world of these  
creatures, how it got started... she knew what they knew about every   
species... every world in  
every dimension that they had destroyed. And she knew most of what they   
knew about the world  
Trista came from.  
  
She could see preparations... she could see... the future.... JJ hanging on   
some muscle bound  
boy.... a girl with weird braided hair kissing some guy with messy hair and   
a green tank top....  
Ariel flirting with some guy with poofy blonde hair while Aurora seemed to   
be rather...  
*interested* with someone else. A man with a braid and a girl with dark   
hair.... Another guy  
with wings, a tiger child, and a school girl... herself with a guy in red   
armor....  
  
Someone new... with her own guy... it was a huge party... the sun was   
back....  
  
Cherri saw herself looking back... hearing phrases....  
  
"J's dead, Cher. Dead. D-E-A-D. Accept it." Janis Hunter's shorter frame   
on a hospital gurdy as  
a girl with short purple hair began to heal.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing out here! It's a battle.... Come on!" A boy in   
orange picking her up and  
running as explosions come from behind.  
  
"My name is Cat. Sorry would of met you earlier, but you where rather out   
of it."  
  
A girl with pure forest green eyes, not her yellowish ones or JJ's dark   
green ones.  
  
A kiss.  
  
Humongous machines, that some girl dragged her out of the path of.  
  
Holding them back with her mind... crying tears of blood.  
  
The flash came forward so facts she couldn't hold on to them... she couldn't   
remember... blood,  
hurt, fire, smoke, screams, Aurora, mech, armor, power, awe, wings, JJ,   
blood, pain, white light,  
searing....  
  
Then after the instantaneous flashes, a white hot heat hit her. It was   
another one... in her brain....  
  
She wanted out... *Get it out. Get it out! Get it out! NOW!! Get out of   
my head! Get out! GET  
OUTTTT!!!!!!!!!!*  
***End Dream***  
  



	4. Part 3

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Three  
  
Cherri was trashing and screaming, tears trickling down her face.  
  
"Hold her back!" Trista called, setting her craft down on another building.   
JJ lunged for her feet,  
Ariel and Aurora both grabbing her arms.  
  
Cherri began vocalizing her concerns..  
  
"Get it out! GET out of my BRAIN!!! Get it out!! Get it out!!!!!"  
  
"I thought you said it was going to help her!" JJ growled, glaring at the   
older woman.  
  
"It should have," Trista replied through clenched teeth.  
  
"This isn't time to fight, we have to know what is going down, now lady,"   
Aurora said to both JJ  
and then Trista.  
  
"I don't think we can trust her," Ariel said. "After all, look at what she   
did to Cher."  
  
"It's not my fault. It should have worked."  
  
"Aw, isn't that to bad. How do you know you didn't try to kill her and you   
just messed up too.  
How do we know your not working for them undercover like?" JJ said clamping   
further down  
on Cherri's flailing legs.  
  
"You have to trust me."  
~~~~~~~~  
Cat quickly ran up to the roof. If she could get some of these uglies to   
run off the side of the  
roof, maybe she could... lessen their chances for catching her... or she   
could jump to another top.  
She didn't do track and field for nothing.  
  
Upon opening the door, though, she discovered helicopter and it was filled   
with arguing women!  
  
Now, Cat was pretty self contained about this. Sure she went to Grovefield,   
one of 150's smaller  
schools, but she wasn't unfamiliar with the 'unusual' activities up on the   
roof.  
  
She'd been there a year. She knew the rumors.  
  
She was a sophomore.  
  
Quickly, hearing the ruckus behind her, she approached the chopper. She had   
a feeling that she  
would be okay with them, they did seem to have any guns... and she always   
trusted her gut  
instinct. And right now it said to trust them... and that she needed to eat   
more... she was starving.  
  
"Hello, you guys don't know me, but there are some really nasty things, and   
seeing as how, I don't  
feel like being bug food right now, I would really appreciate it if I could   
come in and we all flew  
away."  
  
*The fifth one!* Trista thought happily. "Sure get in."  
  
Ariel, Aurora, and JJ glared at the senshi. Cat helped herself in.  
  
"Well, what way to welcome some one!" she announced cheerily.  
  
Cherri decided that now was a good point in her phase to quite down.  
  
Trista spoke up. "As soon as I get you guys to the gates, we'll discus   
EVERYTHING."  
  
"I just hope, for your sake it's not the pearly gates," JJ stated under her   
voice.  
  
Trista began ranting at the 18 year old. "If I wanted you dead, I would of   
killed you in MHHS!  
But I didn't! I'm not harming you at all! I'm just trying to save my   
world!"  
  
Cat looked at the teens. "You're all from MHHS?" she asked shocked.  
  
They nodded.  
  
Cat looked at them. "I'm from GHS. Um, hi?"  
  
The relationship between the schools wasn't exactly good. Cat was beginning   
to feel uneasy.  
Trista continued to rant. Ariel kept going back and forth between JJ and   
Trista. Cat, got more  
worried when JJ started bringing her into the argument. Cherri just *had*   
to get emotional again.  
Aurora just wanted this trip over.  
  
And although the trip to the gates took almost nothing, their experiences   
where far from ending.  
Unfortunately.  
************  
JJ finally shut up as the scene before her was unveiled. Actually all of   
them were silent as they  
looked at what they were heading towards.  
  
They were in the clouds flying high above the city, to high to be seen by   
anyone below.  
  
At first JJ had thought that the darkness that was creeping in on them was   
related to night time.  
It wasn't.  
  
The clouds had gotten darker and thicker, they couldn't see the ground below   
them anymore.  
  
But that wasn't what had made them quiet.  
  
It was the huge gate that stood in the clouds that parted for them.  
  
"Nani!?" JJ squeaked. She turned to look behind her expecting to see   
clouds, all she saw was a  
dark expanse of space. "Oy shimatta...." she muttered.  
  
"The Gateway?" Aurora asked.  
  
Trista nodded.  
************  
Ariel sighed. "I knew this was going to be a long day."  
  
"And it's about to get a lot longer," groaned Aurora and JJ at the same   
time.  
  
Cat was still silent, and Cherri was still out but calm at the moment.   
Trista staid silent.  
  
Ariel climb in the back and sat next to Cat.  
  
"Hi! My name is Ariel. Nice to meet you," she said extending her hand.  
  
Cat smiled back and shook her hand, nodding.  
  
They both turned to look out of the front window at the upcoming gates. In   
a few minutes they  
were directly in front of them. Trista landed the helicopter and climbed   
out.  
  
"Come on, we don't have much time. Don't worry, you won't fall through,"   
she said heading  
towards the gates.  
  
The girls all looked at each other, then began to slowly climb out of the   
helicopter as well.  
  
They moved slowly. A little too slowly for some people's tastes. JJ silently   
commanded them to  
go faster, she wanted answers to their questions.  
  
Aurora ran up to walk beside her friend, "Hey, Cher, you okay?"  
  
Cherri simply nodded and kept walking, attempting to keep up to the senshi   
that lead.  
  
JJ looked around cautiously. Fight moves and plans were running through her   
head and she  
gripped her purse tightly ready to use it as a weapon if need be.  
  
Ariel walked by Cat, babbling nervously about anything that came into her   
mind.  
  
Cat just smiled. She wouldn't be alone in another world with the snobby   
brats of MHHS after all.  
She could get to like this Ariel girl.  
  
Trista stopped and called her Time Key to her hand. She closed her eyes and   
concentrated on her  
powers. With loud creaks and groans the gates began to open slowly, the   
swirling scene on the  
other side slowly becoming solid as the gates destination was called into   
reality.  
  
There was a barrage of footsteps as Ariel ran forward to stand with the   
others, dragging Cat with  
her. "Guys, this is Cat," she said softly after long moments of tense   
silence as they watched the  
gates open.  
  
Cat looked around at the other girls. They didn't look as bad as what she'd   
been told.  
  
Cherri stuck out her hand to Cat, "Nice to meet you, I'm Cherri." Her hand   
trembled with fright  
and excitement.  
  
Cat smiled and shook her hand. She too was scared and excited.  
  
The others also introduced themselves. They were beginning to get into a   
nervous conversation  
about movies they'd seen lately to pass the time and keep them calm, when   
there was a loud  
*CLANK!* and the gates opened fully. As they turned to look the swirling   
scene became real  
and they got a glimpse of what awaited them on the other side of the   
gateway.  
  
There were several people making their way from one way to the other and   
shouting... lots of  
shouting. The girls looked to the senshi who motioned for them to follow   
her.  
~~~~~~~~  
Ryo Sanada pulled himself up. It felt good to have a bit of free room, and   
not to be sleeping on  
the ground. But break was almost over. It was time - the Ronin Warrior   
were back.  
  
After breakfast.  
~~~~~~~~  
Darien pulled at his hoister, his PPG sliding in and out nicely. His black   
shirt tugged at his  
muscular form, and his OZ like pants and boots seemed to give him a   
military-turned-renegade  
air. He was going out on another training mission, not only for him, but   
for his squad and a lot of  
new recruits. Another busy day.  
~~~~~~~~  
Relena's long hair was pulled back in a very high ponytail, pink streaks   
added by Hilde, Dorothy,  
and her conniving cousins. Her black halter top clinging to her form, belly   
ring in place, and her  
tight militaristic pants and boots gave her just enough room to look great   
but also fight back.  
The glaring in her eyes showed that she was less than pleased at the   
information she had just  
received.  
  
Passing a nameless minion of Treize, she sent the message.  
  
A meeting must be called.  
~~~~~~~~  
The pilots gathered, fairly normally attired, though similar in space suits.   
So where Hilde and  
Dorothy. The scouts where transformed, minus Darien, Serena, and Relena.   
Li and Sakura  
where there as well, dressed in the militaristic normality. The Rayearth   
Knights, the Ronin  
Warriors, DBZ cast, Slayers, Ranma, and everyone. The meeting was packed.  
  
Darien and Serena went to sit with their group, as Relena approached.  
  
"Help is on the way. We have to clear out, find another HQ, we've been   
discovered. For awhile,  
communications will be down, and we'll fend for ourselves. I know this   
couldn't have come at a  
worse time. Keep your palm pilots on at all times... and good luck. Eyes   
open, and don't get  
caught. If you feel you can get more support out on the planetary colonies   
-- go. We need it.  
Keep your guards up, I don't know when we will be able to meet again. Keep   
safe and God's  
speed."  
  
*We're gonna need it,* she thought.  
  
Within minuets, the entire audience had cleared, looking for another one to   
fight.  
  
Darien and Serena came back, guiding Sere's cousin out. Relena just   
couldn't bear it anymore.  
Someone had to go down, and unfortunately, Relena decided it was her.  
~~~~~~~~  
Heero looked.... he couldn't find her. Over the past month, they had been   
developing a fragile  
relationship... and seemed to have a small mind link. It was dead. Where   
was she?!?  
  
Warning lights when on... the Quietusans, Queits (Ca-whe-ta-sis), as they   
were more commonly  
called, where staging another attack. Actually, they didn't KNOW what their   
real name, it just  
came from a senator which called them a particularly quietus race - that   
they where something to  
eliminate others, to remove life from things, to create death and   
destruction.  
  
The Queits... black, crustacean like, always protected, and no one had seen   
there actually faces...  
organic ships, and never left anyone alive in there wake. Hit and run. And   
anyone of  
importance, instant quistlings- traitors.  
  
In fact, most of the people captured had something in common, they had a   
hidden, dormant trait.  
They could determine that. But what was the connection?  
  
Heero flew over again before finding her broken body. As he landed, he   
jumped down to get her.  
For the first time, he cried.  
~~~~~~~~  
"They are all now alone master."  
  
"I know. The old generals kicked out my servant."  
  
"Metaillica? She was worthless anyway sire."  
  
"Yes. But...."  
  
The blackness motioned to a sphere of five girls, each face highlighted in   
turn, ending on Cherri.  
  
"Turn them or kill them. But save her for me. She could be my greatest   
ally." *Or my biggest  
enemy.*  
  



	5. Part 4

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Four  
  
They appeared in a cave, looking out at the people running around and   
shouting.  
  
JJ looked out at the chaos that greeted them. "This is a battle right?" she   
asked cynically.  
  
Trista took out her transformation pen. "PLUTO CRYSTAL POWER!" she yelled   
and  
transformed into Sailor Pluto.  
  
The girls stared.  
  
The enemy saw them.  
  
Cherri stood frozen in fear when she saw them. She was afraid that they   
would get into her mind  
again and she didn't want that.  
  
"Stay back girls!" Sailor Pluto yelled standing between them and the Queits   
that were advancing.  
  
JJ growled and put the others behind her as they backed up. She paused next   
to Cherri and  
tugged her sweater. "Come on girl," she said tugging harder.  
  
Cherri didn't move. Her feet were frozen to the ground.  
  
Aurora grabbed Cherri's other arm and dragged her along with Ariel and Cat   
back, deeper into  
the cave.  
  
The Queits attacked.  
  
Sailor Pluto blocked the weapons they carried with her Time Key. Then she   
fought back.  
Landing well placed kicks, punches, and blows with her Time Key she knocked   
back and out  
their attackers. Breathing hard she looked back at the girls then back out   
at the battle...  
  
....and the new group of Queits that were approaching.  
  
"Run girls!" she yelled at them.  
  
They didn't need to be told twice and headed down the tunnel deeper into the   
cave.  
  
"Here!" JJ yelled and tossed Cat her backpack. She slipped her purse over   
her neck and prepared  
it as a possible weapon.  
  
She risked a look back and a sudden thought about what happened to Sailor   
Pluto crossed her  
mind as she saw three of the creatures following them.  
  
"Don't look now but we're being followed!" she yelled to the others.  
  
Cat and Ariel put on a burst of speed and Cherri whimpered, still being   
dragged by Aurora.  
  
There was a sharp turn up ahead.  
  
As JJ ran after the others towards it she tripped.  
  
She laid on the ground her world spinning as she tried to focus again,   
having hit her head on a  
rock in the exact same place the wall had hurt her when she was fighting the   
'Nurse'.  
  
"JJ!" someone yelled from nearby.  
  
She looked up to see who it was. But her attention was completely taken by   
what she found  
laying on a rock in front of her. It was a pendant. A tear drop shaped   
amethyst hung from a  
stone of amethyst, a gold etched dragon carved around it. She felt drawn to   
it.  
  
"JJ look out!" Ariel screamed as a Queits reached her.  
  
JJ moved. She grabbed the pendant and got to a crouched position all in one   
move. She kicked  
the creature's legs out from under it and he went crashing down into his   
second companion. JJ  
got to her feet and performed a high kick followed with a strong uppercut   
with her right hand to  
the third creature which fell back onto her companions and furthered tangled   
them up.  
  
JJ didn't waste time and turned and ran, still clutching the pendant in her   
hand. "Move!" she  
ordered the others who had stopped to help her.  
  
They moved. Around the corner and down the tunnel.  
  
"There's a light!" Cat yelled suddenly.  
  
And there was. The light at the end of the tunnel.  
  
Slowing down a bit they happily reached it. And found themselves looking   
out onto the battle  
again. They had gone in an arch shape through the cave. They had gone   
nowhere to avoid the  
enemy.  
************  
They ran out the doorway, not yet realizing the arch they had just ran   
through.  
  
Cat looked around, her sharp eye picking up every detail from the look in   
Cherri's eyes, to the  
strange pendant JJ was carrying, to the losing battle in a slit second.  
  
She quickly glanced at the entrance they had gone into and saw a limp body,   
green hair and a  
shredded black uniform swimming in a sea blood.  
  
*Not good, definitely not good!* she thought worriedly.  
  
The five had yet to leave the cave. Hidden in the shadows, the enemy had yet   
to spot them.  
  
"Pluto's in serious trouble, any of you have any medical experience?" Cat   
asked in a flat  
monotone almost soldier like voice.  
  
"I can treat minor stuff" said Ariel.  
  
"So can I," JJ added.  
  
"Good enough" said Cat. "Okay, here's the plan. Ariel and Cherri, I want you   
two to go help  
Pluto, if she's still alive, drag her into the opening of the cave and try   
to stop the bleeding, if not  
we leave her and run. JJ, Aurora and I, we cover them. On my signal, we run   
full speed. If  
someone falls behind or gets in a fight, forget them and keep moving,   
Pluto's life may depend on  
it. Got it? " Cat said in a quick militaristic voice.  
  
"Got it," said the other four though some seemed slightly reluctant.  
  
Cat peeked out of the cave entrance. The coast was clear with the exception   
of one of the black  
things... now was their chance.  
  
"Now!" Cat said. She rushed out of the cave, completely surprising the   
crustacean. She charged it  
an knocked it flat on it's back with Cat straddling it. She quickly grabbed   
hold of the front and  
back of the creature's head and gave it a sharp twist. There was a sickening   
snap, barely audible  
over the roar of the battle, and the creature lay still. Cat looked up,   
Ariel and Cherri were  
dragging Pluto into the cave, she was alive. She quickly got up and joined   
the others in defending  
the entrance. JJ was performing incredible martial arts moves, pendant still   
in hand, Aurora was  
defending pretty well as well, landing some pretty good punches and dodging   
most of the hits  
thrown at her. Cat for her own, was putting her years as a competition kick   
boxer to good use,  
landing incredible kicks and paralyzing blows to her opponents.  
  
This kept up for a good 5 minutes but the girls were getting tired. No   
matter how many lobsters  
the knocked down, two more took their place. The girls were quickly out   
numbered and were  
slowly being driven back.  
  
"There's too many!" Aurora shouted.  
  
"Arg!" Cat yelled out as one of the creatures stabbed her left leg. She   
quickly upercutted the thing  
with enough strength born from pain to snap it's neck in two from the back.  
  
"Damn! I can't hold 'em back!" Cat yelled in response.  
  
Suddenly a bright purple light blazed through the air surrounding them   
causing the Queits to  
recoil as if in... pain?  
  
Cat stopped to see if the light affected her... If anything it made her feel   
renewed. She turned her  
head to see the source of the light.  
  
It was JJ. She was surrounded by it and floating between her two hands was   
the pendant she had  
found, glowing with a purple aura.  
************  
JJ stared at the glowing pendant in her hands, and then at the reactions of   
the girls and creatures  
around them. The girls were healing and gaining more energy, the creatures   
were falling back as  
if in pain. "What's going on!" she yelled in fear and excitement.  
  
"Just stay there and hold them off while we get to safety!" Cat yelled at   
her as she and Aurora  
helped Ariel and Cherri carry Pluto towards the cave.  
  
JJ whimpered but stood her ground. She whimpered louder as she noticed the   
light growing  
dimmer. "Please stay lit. Please stay lit...." she muttered over and over   
again. It didn't help.  
  
With a jade green twinkle the purple light went out.  
  
"Uh oh...." JJ stood ready and looked up for an incoming attack. But none   
came. All the  
creatures near her were gone. JJ wasn't one to push her luck any. She   
darted for the cave and  
safety.  
  
The glow had attracted more of the Queits, and their mecha.  
  
But it had also attracted another group of fighters.  
  
The two sides began to converge on the mountains the glow had come from.  
  
Aurora was busy throwing things out of JJ's backpack, looking for the first   
aid kit she always  
kept in there. "Got it!" she cried triumphantly as she pulled it out.  
  
"I don't really think that there's a need," Trista said softly opening her   
eyes slowly.  
  
"Are you okay?" Cherri asked worriedly.  
  
"I'm fine now thank you. What happened?" Trista asked sitting up.  
  
"Me... pendant... glowing... drove back lobsters... healed...." JJ replied   
breathless.  
  
They screamed and ducked as an explosion happened from behind them. They   
turned to see that  
other mechas had arrived and were fighting the 'fighting sea food' as JJ now   
called them.  
  
"Get farther in!" Cat yelled.  
  
The obeyed quickly and hid farther into the cave as the two forces destroyed   
each other. It was a  
few hours before all was quiet.  
  
"Stay here," Trista told Ariel, Aurora, and Cherri. She gestured JJ and Cat   
to follow her out to  
see what had happened.  
  
The two forces had fought and destroyed each other. Nothing seemed to   
remain. Both forces  
were gone. They returned to the others.  
  
"Well?" Cherri asked.  
  
"They're gone," Cat said.  
  
"You will stay here tonight. I think JJ's pendant will protect you all if   
need be. I need to get to  
HQ and tell them about what happened and you," Trista said.  
  
They looked at each other and shrugged then nodded.  
  
"Be careful," JJ told her before she turned and headed out of the cave.  
  
Trista nodded and disappeared down the tunnel.  
************  
Cat stroked the emerald on her charm bracelet. For a bracelet like hers, it   
probably needed more  
than one charm. Then again, when had she been one to conform.  
  
She stared out into the fire. Trista had left to find the base or some such   
nonsense after JJ's gem  
had destroyed the CPU's in the sloppy organic machines.  
  
Unfortunately Cherri had THEN decided to unload on them that these where the   
"older sloppy  
models. The others were being made now. Sleeker, faster...."  
  
Ariel had looked... nauseated? Either way, her closest friend of the group   
was feeling better now,  
looking at the flames as well. JJ sat across the campsite, staring at her   
pendant, not sure what it  
did, tapping it occasionally. Aurora was talking with Cherri, helping her   
map it all out.  
  
Cat knew that suddenly, the whole ball game had changed. The relationships   
had changed. It  
wasn't the same. *Don't it figure, by the time you figure stuff out, they up   
and change the rules on  
ya. Figures.*  
  
Her had dipped down to the bracelet yet again. Ariel had fallen asleep,   
fitfully, evidently scared.  
Cherri looked on sympathizing. Of course Cherri could feel similarly, she   
was a telepath.  
It...was strange... weird like. She knew the others felt the same way. The   
same way they felt  
about the pendant.  
  
Aurora had walked a little ways off, prancing in the shore, waiting for   
Trista's return. And,  
Cherri's best bud would do that thing wouldn't she. It was sensible   
enough... but....  
  
Okay, she felt weird -- they all did-- but... AT LEAST they knew each other!   
Some times... she  
felt so... different. It was in her head, but the psychology behind it   
wasn't making it go away  
either.  
  
She looked down at her bracelet yet again. It was simple, an oval emerald   
with onyx chips  
framing it. Beautiful. It was her grandma's. She still loved it, and her,   
although the time had  
long ago faded away.  
  
She noticed, the engravings on the back where similar to the jewel JJ   
held.... *No way...*  
~~~~~~~~  
Cherri ran her had through the packet. It was... wonderful. It was like   
she was the Q or  
something, whatever she wanted... needed... and it appeared.  
  
Sure, this was probably cowinky dink, but it was enough to make her believe   
in miracles.  
  
The clothing was a God's send, that was for sure. But to have names on   
them? And accessories?  
It was creepy.  
  
On a hunch and a feeling, she had worked her way back into the cave, using   
the mental imprints  
that the others had left.... Yup, she was definitely going psycho... but   
strangely, it worked. She  
stopped and looked down. This spot. This spot right here was where the   
necklace first appeared.  
  
*Or rather, pendant.*  
  
She knew it was magical, she was beginning to get a grip on this stuff. It   
still... overwhelmed  
her; if someone could understand it, some one with experience. Trista said   
that there were  
numerous telepaths and witches (as Trista now thought she was).  
  
Witches! She didn't want to be a witch! A telepath was more than enough.   
Far more. But,  
without her consent or though, she had begun to pick things up.  
  
*This cave... it used to be home to some one with high power.*  
  
In her mind's eye, the place was light up like a Christmas tree, the psyche   
of the older dweller  
blasted on each wall... and here, where the pendant once laid was the secret   
hiding place.  
  
*It's been opened.*  
  
But, she still dug out the wooden box, removing an old book, and packages   
with their names on  
them. Plus one ruby necklace. It fell out of Ariel's bag, and from the   
inscription, she knew that it  
would only work with Ariel and that it originated from the same place as   
JJ's pendant.  
  
*This is to weird.*  
  
A sudden shuffling told her some one was coming. Cherri picked up her stuff   
and ran.  
  
She wasn't stupid enough to wait around and find out who.  
~~~~~~~~  
*It's gone. All gone.* Trista Meiou thought. The entire HQ had been   
blasted to smithereens.  
*Well, there goes MY plan. If they all separate, maybe we can find them.*  
  
That was a fool's idea. She had promised to salvage anything of use for   
Cherri and JJ though, so  
she began her search. After a few hours, she came up empty handed, except   
for a pair of amber  
gauntlets that had 'Aurora' written all over them. Trista never knew that   
some simple jewelry  
could lift her spirits, but these heavy bracelets did.  
  
Strange....  
~~~~~~~~  
JJ continued to stare at her. What was she doing? Cherri had com busting   
back speaking in clips  
and phrases about ancient people and weirded out soldiers, of gems and   
jewels, legend and  
myth. And she had handed out these odd packages to them, but no one had   
opened theirs yet.  
  
A large book was in her hand and she was referencing to Cat's bracelet, her   
pendant, and the  
simple jewel of Ariel's new necklace.  
  
Some how, it made sense, but didn't. The fact that only telepaths could use   
the power to activate  
them didn't help her at all. What did that mean? That she was now to   
become scared after seeing  
a Queit like Cherri did?  
  
She didn't think so.  
  
It was fine, escalating only when Ariel and Cat decided to jump in. Now the   
two where having a  
glaring contest to beat all. Neither had blinked yet.  
  
"Guys!" Aurora whispered, "We're not alone!"  
  
Sure enough a few smaller, quicker Queit mobiles were heading towards them.   
Cat's bracelet  
shone, then Ariel's necklace, then her pendant. These things seemed to work   
better in a group....  
  
One jumped after Aurora but Cherri did something unexpected, jumping in   
front and slitting her  
eyes. JJ couldn't help but question her sanity -- until she could make out   
what was really going  
on.  
  
Despite the black spider appearance that blended with the inky night, she   
could still see what was  
happening -- Cherri, using her newly developing psi powers, had stopped the   
monster in mid air,  
halting it.  
  
It wriggled and Cherri hissed, her eyes darkening with concentration. It   
moved again.  
  
"Come on guys, kill it!" she shouted as a blood vessel broke, sending a   
trickle of blood down her  
face. "Before it sends out a distress message!"  
  
With a quick efficiency, and without JJ's knowledge of how she was able to   
do it, the pendant  
shot a purple bolt of light at the Queitsian, taking care of it. Cherri   
looked away with a wince  
and wiped her face.  
  
"Good job!" Ariel yelled.  
  
"It... hurt you, when it died, didn't it?" JJ asked, quieter.  
  
"No." Cherri answered back, "It was a bad job, I nearly lost it, twice!   
And I'm fine."  
  
"That's not what I asked," JJ said, voice raising.  
  
"So?" Cherri said, her eyes, still black and glittering, all the time   
slowly contracting to normalcy.  
  
"Don't do it again," JJ ordered.  
  
"YOU'RE not my MOM!" Cherri she yelled, almost seeming to change into   
someone else.  
  
"I could of killed you!" JJ yelled back. "If you were holding that tight,   
I could of killed you  
while you were controlling it!" her pendant shimmered, picking up on her   
clothing.  
"Furthermore...."  
  
Cherri picked up her book and her stuff. She didn't want to hear it. And   
she decided to voice her  
opinions, rather loudly.  
  
"So what?" JJ countered. "I'm the oldest. I have to look out for you   
guys, and that included you  
Cheron!" she said, calling Cherri by her first name instead of her preferred   
nickname. The purple  
jewel was beginning to shine in sequences.  
  
"I don't need to be protected!"  
  
"FINE! Don't ask me to help you any more!"  
  
"I WON'T!!!"  
  
"Then get out of my way," JJ growled. And after the last syllable, the   
light surrounded Cherri  
and she simply vanished.  



	6. Part 5

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Five  
  
Aurora, who had been trying to calm them down, mainly Cherri, looked at JJ   
in surprise and  
alarm. "What the hell did you do?"  
  
"How in the hell should I know?" JJ shouted mad and frustrated, and already   
worried about  
vaporizing her one-time friend.  
  
"Well bring her back!" Aurora said worriedly.  
  
"I don't know how!"  
  
"Break it up!" Ariel and Cat said at the same time. "We need to wait for   
Trista now," Cat said  
evenly. "And hope Cherri's alright," Ariel added worriedly.  
  
"Most of all," Aurora said, now being the only one without some kind of   
gem, "we need to  
figure out how to work those gems, and Cherri's powers, so we can all go   
home."  
************  
"What do we do now?" Ariel asked, talking to no one in particular.  
  
"I have no idea besides wait, but this situation keeps getting stranger by   
the minute," Cat replied,  
still fingering her charm.  
  
JJ was sitting away from them, having an argument with her pendant,   
demanding that it bring  
Cherri back. It would have been funny if JJ's eyes weren't red from tears   
and her cheeks puffy  
and red as well.  
  
Ariel stared at her new ruby necklace. She wondered what kind of powers she   
now had and why  
she got them. She began to worry about Cherri, as well as Trista. Trista   
had been gone for a  
long time now.  
  
The girls froze hear a sound coming closer, and looked up to see a shadow   
approaching.  
  
JJ and Cat moved to their feet, ready for anything. They let out tense   
breaths as Trista stepped  
into the light.  
  
"Hello girls. Aurora, these are for you," she said as she handed the   
gauntlets to her. Aurora just  
stared at them.  
  
"Are you sure they're for me?"  
  
"That's what the label said," Trista replied. She looked around the fire.   
Concern immediately  
suffused her face as she noticed that one was missing. "Where's Cherri?"  
  
"JJ and her had a fight when a black spider thing attacked, and JJ's pendant   
seemed to have made  
her disappear," Cat replied quietly. Trista groaned. JJ stepped away from   
them all looking  
ashamed and angry at herself, biting her lip and avoiding Trista's eyes.  
  
"Oh no. We have to go and search for her as soon as possible. We have no   
idea what dangers  
are out there, or how much."  
  
Aurora and Ariel stood, and packed their stuff and packages into their   
backpacks. JJ doused the  
fire then looked at her package that Cherri had given them and they never   
opened, then put it into  
her backpack.  
  
"We're ready," Ariel said after looking them over. She wondered what kind of   
trouble they were  
heading into and prayed silently that Cherri was alright and not in enemy   
clutches.  
************  
Cherri was swept into the abyss. Dark, cold, and lonely, she fell onward,   
inside a hole or cavern  
of some sort. Down, down, down. She could feel her limbs go numb, although   
she couldn't see a  
thing.  
  
It was torture. There was no death...she just continued to fall. It seemed   
like forever. She kept  
waiting for the other shoe to drop, her muscles tensed, fear was running   
high.  
  
Her book and backpack where held close to the free falling body, though her   
hair was streaming  
behind her in the dark.  
  
She could hear things... in the pit below. God, she wasn't going to make   
it. She never wanted to  
die here... she didn't want to come here!  
  
In her mind, she could see everyone she was leaving behind - her mom and   
dad... her pesky  
brothers, her pet cats, her room... her friends....  
  
*Guess it just goes to show that I shouldn't piss off girls with amulets.*  
  
She could feel them now, red hot eyes upon her skin, burning through her   
flesh. The end was  
closer now. The sickening crunch or bones breaking, the slimy feel of blood   
coating the stone  
wall.  
  
She was to weak... she couldn't prevent it. She was willing to accept her   
fate, but she was  
beginning to think that fate should give her another chance.  
  
For her, it was to late. The impact was hard, and she gored herself in the   
darkness of the pit, her  
body twisting in un-human ways as she slow began her descent to the   
afterworld.  
  
*So much for me being miss-save the day....*  
~~~~~~~~  
It was a gruesome site. He wasn't sure.... It was pretty bad. But, she   
still clung to life, just  
barely. He had to try. Some one had to put her there for a reason, maybe   
it was the Queits.  
  
Maybe she was a threat to them.  
  
Looking up at his leader, he knew that Ryo thought the same thing.  
  
Sage decided to get started, but looking at the mauled girl... it was almost   
more than he could  
take.  
  
Slowly, he reached out his hand placing them on precise spots, to make sure   
she really was still  
salvage able.  
  
Geeze, she sounded almost like a scrap yard or something...  
  
Halo then proceeded to heal her, or at least try to. The wounds where still   
going to be sore, but  
she would live, more likely than not. He would finish later, she still had   
many other things that  
would probably scar later. He could fix them, but he needed to rest.  
  
Some thing was different about this girl.  
  
Maybe when she woke up, they could find what it was.  



	7. Part 6

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Six  
  
Ryo looked at her. She looked better - her skin was gaining color from the   
alabaster it had been,  
and she would move a bit now and again.  
  
She was at the bottom of a cave or pit, the fact that she only got injured   
(seriously though) at the  
very bottom was something out of science fiction.  
  
The pit/cave was lined with rock formations, most of them pointy, and deadly   
in the mile long  
tunnel. She only hit one in the end.  
  
Her long golden brown hair had some blood within the silken strands and her   
clothes, the sweater  
and jeans had definitely seen better days.  
  
Ryo Sanada had found her, lying there when he was fighting another one of   
the Queits ships. He  
jumped to do a flare and landed, right next to the pit. That was enough to   
scare him, but finding  
a dead/dying body.  
  
He was officially freaked out now.  
  
Kento had actually gone down, knowing how to actually rock climb, and   
brought her up. He  
said that there were many other bodies, skeletons, and that the smell was   
horrid.  
  
Cye couldn't stand to look at her, the wounds where to fresh. He went to   
find some food and  
necessities for the girl, coming back with some soup and bandages that could   
be used until Sage  
regain strength.  
  
Rowen was searching through her belongings now - a backpack, a book, a   
purse. A package  
within the pack, a coat.  
  
He thumbed through her stuff -- if they could find why someone tried to kill   
her...  
  
The purse first, it would probably have the most information. Inside, he   
found some usually girls  
stuff - lotion, lip gloss, and about a thousand pens and pencils. A wallet   
with a fair amount of  
money, and BINGO! A student ID  
  
Cherri Armstrong  
Junior, 11th grade  
Birth date: 9/4/1984  
Age: 16  
Rank: 3/500  
School: Marquette Heights High  
  
*No way. This can't be right! It's the year 2198! Or 198 AC She'd be over   
200 years old!*  
Rowen thought.  
  
But the picture synched it. It was her, but looking a little more healthy.  
  
*This is way past weird....*  
~~~~~~~~  
"You did it then?" A deep female voice asked, sounding rather interested in   
the conversation.  
  
"Yes mistress, I was able to change the transfer point from the amethystine   
crystal.  
Unfortunately, some one found her."  
  
A pair of eyes seemed to glow, giving evil glares to the other woman at her   
side.  
  
"I'm sorry! No one has every found our pits before. It won't matter, she   
probably will never live  
past the first day."  
  
"She better not. Otherwise you'll have hell to pay. And how could you let   
them find the other  
jewels? Amber, amethyst, emerald, and ruby. Those are 4 of twenty-one!!   
All they need is one  
more to complete the circuit to regain the enemies old powers!"  
  
"Lady, we have twelve of the others, that leaves five more. The Jet Onyx   
won't comply with  
them and neither will pearl. So there are only three left, and we are   
searching them out now."  
  
"You better. If Sapphirine re-awaken's we are doomed. I can't allow that.   
And I can't sit back  
and watch on of the nine obsess about them, especially her. The Counsel has   
better things than  
to convert five wayward girls. Kill them all. Don't come back until they   
are dead."  
  
"Yes, your majesty. Certainly. May I enlist some help?"  
  
"Take whatever you want, just destroy them and bring the gems back to me."  
  
As one servant scampered off to find more allies, the other regal turned to   
a black case in the  
dark room. Twelve gems glittered back from the case, surrounding the out   
side. Her jet was  
placed strategically on her chest as a broach, and she saw the spaces left   
for those girls jewels,  
the pearl, and the sapphire.  
  
She picked up the moonstone. The color seemed trapped in her hand, yet she   
could see the  
engraving of the owl in it. Each had a similar one. She wanted her   
collection to be complete.  
Laying the stone back down, she fingered her onyx stone. She could feel the   
etched panther.  
  
Yes, she wanted them, all of them. All the gems of power, there attributes   
of animals and  
powers... of virtues and life. She wanted them all, and she wouldn't stop   
until the end.  
~~~~~~~~  
"Guys, look! This tells of a myth, that people had special bonds with   
animals once! And... and...  
a group of girls, and an uprising!" Rowen elaborated, reading the beginning   
of the ancient book.  
The paged had slightly yellow, and the large leather binding was smooth   
beneath his finger tips  
as he pointed out diagrams to Kento and Cye.  
  
"Rowen!" Kento complained. "That sounds about like every girl I know! Sere   
talks to her cat,  
the Rayearth Knights are a bunch of girls, and *somebody* is always trying   
to create a mess."  
  
"I don't understand though," Rowen continued, "if there where twenty one   
different gems,  
wouldn't we have found them? At least one? Or heard about them? Who ever   
these people  
are...this girl is...I think we'll have to be very careful."  
  
"Where is Ryo?" Cye asked. "I know Sage is working on Cherry or Sherie or   
whom ever, but  
where did he go?"  
~~~~~~~~  
Aurora looked at her thick bracelets, her gauntlets. They made her feel at   
ease, happy like. The  
golden hue brightened her day a little, the grey sky that had settled in was   
a little much. She  
brushed her slightly reddened hair out of her eyes. Something was nagging   
at the back of her  
mind..like something awful happened...  
  
Trista kept the pace, knowing that some one had changed the time line. So   
far, everything had  
worked out almost the same as it should have... but looking back there where   
some slight  
differences... Specially with Cherri disappearing. Something was wrong   
about this whole  
situation, dead wrong.  
  
Ariel walked briskly in between the senshi (who was leading) and Aurora.   
She thought that this  
was a little weird. Okay they had powers, and okay she had never seen JJ   
and Cher fight like  
that. But what she had picked up from Cherri *before* the accident was that   
these gems did  
what was needed or wanted by the master.  
  
She looked at the necklace, at the phoenix engraved on it. Would it betray   
her as well? JJ hadn't  
looked quite right since she got the pendant, even worse since Cher was   
gone.  
  
Cat look sympathetic. What else could she do? Become a griffin and fly   
away? Try to transport  
directly to the missing girl. She wasn't a miracle worker....but somehow it   
seemed lonelier  
without the whole five of them. JJ and Aurora's somber moods, combined with   
Trista's nervous  
one and Ariel's scared on didn't make it very much fun.  
  
God.... I just hope that the Queits don't find us.  
~~~~~~~~  
"She hasn't woken up yet guys. I don't know what to do. I can't finish,   
it's like something is  
keeping her injured. I don't understand it. Maybe some one is actually   
protecting her...."  
  
"Sage, we understand. We knew it was a long shot. We should probably wait   
until tomorrow, if  
she dies over night, we tried, if she lives we can figure out what is going   
on."  
  
*I hope she does make it,* Ryo added, silently. Something told him that   
what ever was  
REALLY going down, she was in the middle of it.  
  
For better of for worse.  
  
Turning towards the fire, he looked at her once again, and at the tiger   
which was now guarding  
her, before turning it.  
  
The shadowy form of a woman snuck in as they all slept. *Like taking candy   
from a baby,* she  
thought, creeping up on the girl. No matter what the Lady Kwena had said,   
she wasn't the leader  
of the Nine, Morkela was. And he wanted her, dead or alive.  
  
Alive seemed good enough for her.  
  
As the twenty some year-old woman stooped over to pick up the girl,   
Whiteblaze woke up.  
  
*Uh oh I better scram. Next time kid.* Morkela and Kwena will have her...   
even if for different  
reasons.  
  



	8. Part 7

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Seven  
  
Her lips where cold, pale. Her skin was clammy. Ryo pulled the grey 3-in-1   
jacket over the girl  
again, carefully tucking her in. She couldn't be dead or in a coma. Not   
after saving her from that  
pit. No way. He wouldn't accept it. He couldn't. There had to be a   
reason for finding her, and it  
wasn't to see her die anyways.  
  
Cye looked at the couple... well Ryo and the sleeping girl... it was strange   
how things just  
happened. Each of them had taken turns taking care of her and most of them   
admitted that she  
was sort of pretty in a very natural sense -- fairly uncommon on in that   
world.  
  
It was midnight and tonight was the make or break for the girl. Sage had   
continued to try and  
wake her up, healing almost all of her, with a few exceptions. She would be   
just a little tender,  
not much at all.  
  
Rowen has dissected everything from her purse to her PE clothes and   
everything in between.  
Kento would just talk to her to see if she would wake up, and Cye himself,   
force fed her. But  
Ryo was very interested.... it was weird... like he knew her.  
  
Soon enough, they had all convened around the fire once more and went to   
sleep.  
~~~~~~~~  
"I think we are getting close!" Aurora said, interested in finding her best   
friend.  
  
JJ confirmed... she could almost begin to feel Cherri. Not that she was a   
master at this stuff, but  
she felt very far away yet. Probably another days journey. Trista had gone   
off two days past  
ranting about time lines and such.  
  
Ariel grasped her ruby, hoping for some semblance of a connection, but   
received none. Cat  
rubbed the emerald, waiting for her chance to use it again. If Cherri was   
as hurt as Trista had  
made it out to be, then she would probably need it.  
~~~~~~~~  
It was VERY early in the morning, she noted. The next thought that came to   
mind was that she  
wasn't dead. How did *that* happen?  
  
Cherri wasn't quite sure. She knew she was sleeping, head on her backpack,   
coat as a blanket.  
She didn't remember that.  
  
Also, her muscles where protesting rather loudly, dried blood still flaking   
off from places. Her  
sweater was torn, right down the center... but there wasn't a wound?!?  
  
Cherri thanked the powers that be and went off, taking her stuff, and   
somehow failing to notice  
the boys. If she could find a stream and clean up... life would be good.  
~~~~~~~~  
Some time later, Ryo awoke. Looking around he noticed everything was   
fine... until he did a  
double take. She was gone! How could she just leave, when she was near   
comatose conditions?  
  
Kento heard the rustling and woke up.  
  
"Kento!" Ryo hissed. "You gotta help me find her! She's gone!"  
  
"Who?" Kento asked groggily.  
  
"That Cherrie girl!" Ryo answered.  
  
"Your kidding me," he asked disbelieving.  
  
Ryo shook his head no.  
  
"Come on, let's go."  
~~~~~~~~  
Cherri crawled out, refreshed. She had bathed in her PE clothes, and well   
there was a first time  
for everything. That packet from the cave had clothes and more books plus   
some other really  
*weird* stuff. And a lot of crystals. It was really cool. But finding   
three *complete* outfits in  
her exact size and colors was pretty weird.  
  
Very weird.  
  
She ran her hand over her abdomen again. Smooth, no scars, no traces. The   
fall was to real to be  
a dream. She could still remember the darkness, the cold moist feel of the   
air, the heaviness of  
her body, and the sickening crunch she made.  
  
Too real. She should be dead....  
  
Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, though, she quickly got dressed. A   
simple, loose fitting  
pair of black slacks, a loose light blue shirt and a black like lace up   
bodice that had what seemed  
to be a skirt like ending ruffle. It was beautiful, even if a little long   
for her taste. Quickly she  
laced up the top... but not to tight, her body still ached in strange   
places. A pair of boots, and a  
tight braid completed her look.  
  
She appraised her older clothes. If she dried her tennis shoes (she had to   
wash the blood out) she  
could wear them. Good deal. These boots where nice, but she would rather   
have her sneaks any  
day. The jeans where salvageable, torn at the knees, edges, and the back of   
her thighs.  
Workable. The sweater and the shirt under it where another story. pitching   
them would probably  
be the best thing for everyone.  
  
She had loosed her bodice while working and was tying it again when a young   
man stumbled  
upon her. Looking at what she was doing, he looked away blushing.  
  
"Can I help you?" Cherri asked, groaning slightly as she lifted her body up.  
  
"Uh... yeah. My name is Kento Rei Fuan, and I was looking for you."  
  
"Me?!?" Cherri asked surprised. She had never seen the Chinese boy in her   
life.  
  
Kento thought her reaction was pleasing, and was beginning to think they   
would become friend  
quickly. "Yeah you. We um, saved your life. Well, my friends and I. Hold   
on a minute, Ryo!  
HEY RYO!!!"  
  
Ryo Sanada came through the slight forest, coming to the lake and the two   
teens. She looked  
much better now. Clean, healthy. Her peaches-and-cream complexion was   
nearly flawless and  
her lips had a rosy color. Her smile was small, but definitely real, he   
noted.  
  
"Hello. My name is Cheron Marie Armstrong, but my friends call me Cherri.   
Um.... thank you,  
for helping me," she said, her voice getting softer.  
  
Cherri went to get her humungo book bag from hell. She never realized how   
heavy it was. Or  
looked.  
  
"Cher, I'll get that for you. You don't mind me calling you Cher do ya?"   
Kento asked.  
  
"Um, no. And thank you," she added quietly. She was feeling very tired,   
and very hungry.  
  
'She smells like raspberries,' Ryo mouthed over her head to his companion.  
  
'And peppermint,' Kento mouthed back. Looking down, he found a beautiful   
sapphire and silver  
ring.  
  
"Cher, you dropped your ring."  
  
"What ring? I don't have a ring!" she said, almost frustrated like. "Oh,   
it's beautiful!" she  
exclaimed upon seeing it her tone changing. "I'll just hang on to it," she   
smiled.  
  
"Well then," Ryo said, "why don't you come back with us and met the others?"  
  
"I'd like that... very much. Um, can you help me find my friends?"  
  
"Sure thing Cher-Bear" Kento said. "Not a problem."  
  
"Good." she answered with a yawn. "Oh... I'm so tired...."  
************  
JJ was arguing with her stone again, demanding it brought Cherri back to   
them that instant. She  
was sitting away from the other three girls, refusing to join them in her   
own guilty feelings for  
possibly hurting their friend.  
  
And the other three let her. It wasn't that they hated her for what she had   
done, but every time  
they tried to comfort her she pushed them away. She had Irish and Scottish   
blood in her and the  
both combined made her very stubborn.  
  
Aurora couldn't stand the silence anymore. She dragged her backpack over to   
her and opened it  
up taking the package out of it.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Ariel asked.  
  
"Open it," Aurora said. With the other two watching she untied the strings   
that held it close and  
opened it. They gasped at what they saw in it. Three changes of clothes,   
two books, and a pouch  
that held only one thing, a (insert secondary stone here) Pegasus. She took   
the book out as the  
other two scrambled to open their packages and found the same things only   
the clothes were of  
different styles, the books were different, and the carved stones were of a   
(insert secondary stone  
here) Griffin and (insert secondary stone here) Phoenix.  
  
JJ was oblivious to their actions. She was staring darkly at her pendant   
willing it to bring Cherri  
back to no avail.  
  
"Look here," Aurora told Cat and Ariel pointing at something in the book,   
"there are more jewels  
then ours," she said.  
  
The other two crowded around Aurora looking over her shoulders. JJ had   
heard her and stopped  
stressing over her pendant and crowded behind Aurora to read on.  
  
"It also says that they all work together somehow," Cat added after they   
were quietly reading.  
  
"And that they will only work with their wearers if the wearers accept   
them," Aurora read.  
  
"Well there's a few exceptions about that!" JJ commented.  
  
"That's what it reads next," Ariel said.  
  
"Oh. Does it say how we can find Cherri?" JJ asked.  
  
"I don't see anything," Ariel said.  
  
"Shimatta," JJ cursed standing up and kicking the ground. She stomped over   
to her backpack  
and grabbed it looking in at the package in there. She grabbed her pendant   
and held it in her free  
hand staring at it. "Listen," she told it, "if you want me to accept you,   
you take me to my friend  
you hear me! I don't care where I go as long as I go!"  
  
In a purple flash, she was gone.  
  



	9. Part 8

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Eight  
  
Aurora stared at the spot.... it was... JJ had been....  
  
"That's it!" she screamed. "I can't *TAKE* it any more! Don't you get it?   
Instead of being  
pulled back together, these... these things are pulling us apart! WE can't   
survive her with out  
each other. Together we stand, united we fall. No other way. You guys do   
what you wish, I'm  
finding Cherri then Jay."  
  
Aurora bent down and grabbed her stuff, shoving her items into her knapsack   
and preceded away  
from the fire. Ariel looked at Cat, crystalline tears in her eyes. *This   
isn't happening... it can't be  
happening....*  
  
Cat got up as well. "No, Rora, We'll find JJ. Heck it's partially our   
fault as well. You find Cher.  
We'll meet up again, I'm sure of it."  
  
Ariel, nodded. She was sure that they would met again. This wasn't   
goodbye. Not now not ever.  
"Bye Ro-chan"  
  
"Bye mermaid, bye kitty."  
  
"Seeya later, alligator!" Cat called dragging Ariel in the other direction.  
  
"After a while, crocodile," Aurora replied, looking towards her own  
path, setting out across the plains.  
~~~~~~~~  
She was running... fast... *No... I can't let them get me.... I've got to   
get away... got to run away....  
No! No! Don't please! Leave them alone! Rora! Jay! Cat! Ariel!  
NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!*  
  
Cherri woke up, frightened. They... they where here.... It... it was after   
her....  
  
The black, spider-like creatures made little sounds, there red eyes glaring   
and cannon's  
charging....  
  
Cherri could still see them, even in the night. The fire had long ago burnt   
out but dawn was  
hours away. She heard them slither... coming closer to her new found   
friends. She wouldn't let  
them.  
  
Up, she flipped, landing on her feet, scanning each one. They stopped,   
almost to easily. She  
tried more... flinging them into one another...tearing them apart... one got   
away.  
  
The violet energy sizzled her right shoulder, just barely. She hissed out   
in pain, directing her  
mind to it, having it sear apart it's own ships. One seemed to scream.  
  
Craftily, Sage opened on eye, looking across to Rowen and Ryo which where   
doing the same  
thing, studying the girl. Kento lifted his head up and Cye did the same.   
Cherri didn't notice.  
  
A smaller one, snuck up and grabbed her from behind. Cherri struggled,   
kicking, shifting...  
anything. A wounded one came at her, but she tossed it into a large tree.  
  
"LET... GO... OF... MEEEEEE!" she screamed, her ring lighting, a steady   
stream of lightning  
blue energy gradually working from navy to white. Then, dying.  
  
"Now, now, Sapphirine! Is that anyway to talk to your friend? We are only   
trying to protect  
you!"  
  
*Friend?* Kento mouthed worriedly  
  
"Your no friend of mine!" She shouted, still struggling. "And my name is   
CHERRI!! And... I  
don't need PROTECTION!" she said removing the creature with her psi powers.   
'Finally'  
  
"Sapphirine, you really don't remember do you? How bout some names then?   
Rubia, Amethy,  
Emara, Amber? No? Opal, Dia, Jade? No? How bout Kwena?"  
  
"Kwena?" she asked confused, still uncertain from the voice's owner.  
  
The lady stepped into the moonlight of the night. Darkness shadowed her.   
Her pale body  
seemed covered in black, sucking in the night time. Her wild dark hair had   
silver streaks and her  
ebony eyes glittered with recognition.  
  
"You still don't have her eyes... such a shame... but, you are her...."  
  
Cherri held her head... she knew... from that monster at school... she   
knew....  
  
"Onyxy Jet Kwena... no... no... it can't be...."  
  
"But I am! Midnight!"  
  
A huge black panther jumped out of some opening. The fangs gleamed in the   
night, white as  
ivory and dripping with red blood. The claws unsheathed, and the hunter   
looked at the sixteen  
year-old with a hungry gleam.  
  
Cherri couldn't go much farther, she was far away from camp as it was.  
  
And she was terrified.  
  
White blaze came up in time, slashing and growling to protect his new best   
friend. The tiger was  
much larger, and much fiercer than the panther had anticipated. The other   
Ronin Warriors (now  
fully awake and in armor) came up. Kento and Cye flanked Cherri where Rowen   
guarded the  
back and Sage and Ryo approached the woman.  
  
"And you said you didn't need protection! You are a wimp Sapphirine! You   
have and always  
will be. Opal will be mine. Oh, and you know your little secret? To bad   
they know too... here...  
have a little some thing to take your defeat off your mind!" The black   
nails opened and Cherri  
gripped her head... tears flooding out.  
  
"Stop.... make it stop...." she blubbered, where Cye and Kento caught her on   
her descent to her  
knees.  
  
"Come with me, Sapph. You'll be on top of the world. Morkela wants *you*   
by his side. You  
could rule the stars. Come on...." Kwena said, drawing near, near enough to   
take the silver and  
sapphire ring from Cherri's fingers.  
  
"No..." she choked out, her eyes glazed and puff cheeked, "you only want my   
ring. Here... take  
it!"  
  
The gem lit again, going directly full force as Cherri aimed it at the   
woman's face.  
  
Kwena shrieked in pain... it was blinding her. She took herself back to her   
beloved darkness  
where Cherri's light could harm her no more. She failed....  
  
Cherri slumped down wards, trying to lay down, White Blaze coming up to   
carry her back to  
camp.  
  
Ryo came up to her, more than a little concerned, to the amusement of the   
other guys. "What  
happened? What did you do?"  
  
"I don't know...." she said crying into the tiger's fur, "I just don't   
know."  
~~~~~~~~  
Cat looked at Ariel, then back to the fork in the road. "I guess this is   
where we part ways."  
  
"I guess so. Good luck, Cat."  
  
"Good luck, Ariel."  
  
And that was all that was said between the two.  
  
And all that was needed to be said.  
************  
Cat walked in silence. As much as she hated to admit it, she felt free. She   
had grown weary of  
always being around others. She thrived on independence. On now she was on   
her own again.  
She was content.  
  
She walked for a good half hour, just enjoying the cool night air. She was a   
night person. She  
always had been. She remembered when she lived with her grandmother in   
Scotland, spending  
the summer nights sitting in her wild flower field and watching the   
fireflies dance in the night  
sky. It had been her favorite thing in the world. It always would be.  
  
After the thought came the familiar pain of loss. Her grandmother had died   
three years ago. Her  
farm had been sold to some major cooperation. The fire flies were long gone   
now.  
  
Her grandmother had always said that the fire flies were the fairies of   
Scotland and that  
everywhere they went they spread a magical song. The thing about it was that   
it was very hard to  
hear because you couldn't hear it with you're ears. You heard it with you're   
spirit. Cat had never  
been able to hear it, no matter how she tried. After almost two weeks, she'd   
given up. She'd been  
5, two weeks were a very long time.  
  
She remembered the day like it was yesterday....  
***Begin Flashback***  
Cat was sitting in the field. She'd sat in the very same spot every night   
for the last _two weeks_.  
She wanted desperately to hear the song of the fairies. She loved stories of   
magic. She tried and  
tried to no avail. Slowly, tears came to her eyes and she started to cry.  
  
Suddenly she felt warm arms wrap themselves around her. She was engulfed in   
the sweet smell  
of wild raspberries.  
  
"What's wrong, lass?" her grandmother had asked in her Scottish brogue. Cat   
had always loved  
the sound of that brogue, just something about it made her feel at peace.  
  
"Nana, I can't hear it," the child sobbed quietly.  
  
"Can't hear what, sweetling?" the old woman asked sympathetically.  
  
"I can't hear the fairies song... they don't want me to hear them, I'm not   
worthy...." The girl cried  
some more. It was the most disappointing thing that had ever happened to   
her. Her beloved  
fairies didn't love her back.  
  
"Now child what makes you think that? I told you, the fairy song is magical.   
They don't sing it,  
they can't," the old woman said with a mysterious smile.  
  
"Huh?" the child said, completely muddled.  
  
"The fairies can't sing so they ask someone they trust to sing the song for   
them. Long ago, it was  
taught to me by me grand-mum. Now, I'll teach it to you," she said. She   
reached into the pocket  
of her skirt and pulled out a pan flute.  
  
Cat gasped as she saw this. "A fairy flute!" she said with a mixture of awe   
and excitement.  
  
The old woman put the flute to her lips and started to play. It was the most   
beautiful melody Cat  
had ever heard, it truly was a song that only a wonderful fairy could   
produce. As the music  
played on, the fire flies danced and the girl and her grandmother became   
closer than ever.  
***End Flashback***  
As Cat continued her walk she started humming the beautiful melody of the   
fairies.  
  
She soon came to a field filled with wild flowers. She stopped, savoring the   
memories it brought  
when she saw something flash in the dark night. a firefly! Then she saw   
another and another, just  
like back home! She continued to hum and to her it appeared as if the   
fairies were dancing. She  
put her hands in her pocket and watched for a moment. Then she realized that   
there was  
something in her pocket... a pan flute! She took it out and started to play   
and soon, she was  
dancing with her beloved fairies, lost in the shear joy of all the happy   
memories that assailed her  
mind.  
~~~~~~~~  
*What was that?* Sano's sleep slugged mind thought as it attempted to   
process the new sound. It  
was different, not an animal... nothing he'd ever heard before.  
  
'Guess I'll investigate' he thought as her got up.  
  
He followed the sound, as he got closer, the sound became clearer and   
clearer until he heard the  
melody in all it's splendor. It was coming behind from behind the tree line.  
  
He made his way up to the line and looked through. He saw the most   
incredible thing... It was a  
girl playing a pan flute and dancing with the fireflies to the melody. She   
was wearing a shear,  
iridescent sleeve-less dress that was slit up the sides to the hip over a   
black sleeveless "v" neck  
shirt with black pants that reached mid calf and were slit to just above the   
knee. The slits in the  
pants were then loosely tied back together. Her eyes were closed and her red   
hair was lose and  
shimmering in the fireflies light as her shirt danced with all kinds of   
colors.  
  
*Wow....* was the only thought he could conjure.  
  
Unthinking, he headed blindly towards the girl. Since he wasn't paying   
attention, his foot  
snapped a twig rather loudly. The girls eyes snapped open. The melody   
stopped. the fireflies  
vanished. The girl turned towards the sound, instinctively sinking into a   
defensive position, ready  
to defend herself if the need be.  
  
"Show yourself!" she commanded in a powerful voice that revealed a slight   
brogue.  
  
Sano stood to his full high and raised his hands so that she could see them.  
  
"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you," he said as he walked slowly towards   
her. The girl didn't  
respond.  
  
"It's dangerous for a girl to be wandering around at night you know, very   
dangerous. You could  
get hurt with no one here to defend you," He continued nonchalantly.  
  
"I can take care of myself," she said, frost coating her voice.  
  
"I don't doubt that but people here tend to be a lot stronger than they   
look. There also tends to be  
a lot more than you'd originally think," he continued.  
  
"And how do you now I'm not one of those people?" she said as she cocked an   
eyebrow.  
  
"I know...." he said, his chocolate eyes taking on a mysterious gleam.  
  
He was about two feet in front of her now. Finally, he got a good look at   
her face and her eyes.  
She had a beautiful face, different from the girls around here and her eyes   
were green. A dark  
forest green that gleamed with warning.  
  
"I offer you my services," he said with a smug smile.  
  
She lifted an eyebrow at this.  
  
"As a bodyguard," he continued.  
  
"And why, pray tell, should I trust you?" she said her eyes shooting icy   
daggers.  
  
"Because you don't have a choice," he said crossing his arms.  
  
Cat stood to her full height now and put her hands on her hips. "Oh really?   
And what makes you  
think that?" she asked, looking down her nose at him.  
  
*Feisty....* "The fact that we have now been found by at least four Queits   
that you attracted with  
you're flute."  
  
The girls eyes opened wide and she looked around. Sure enough in the   
clearing there were four  
Queits.  
  
"Damn you!" She said. He laughed at that.  
  
"My name's Sanosuke Sagara by the way, but you can call me Sano," he said as   
he struck a  
defensive pose.  
  
"I'm Cat MacLaren, nice to meet you bodyguard," she said with a half grin.  
  
With that the Queits attacked.  
  
Hits were thrown left and right. Sano was impressed by the girl. She wasn't   
doing half bad. they  
had only been attacked by a small group so they finished of the creatures   
rather quickly. When  
the battle was done, Sano turned to look at the girl.  
  
"Well, that was refreshing. How about we return to my camp and call it a   
night." With that he  
turned around and Cat saw a symbol on his back. She looked at it for a few   
seconds and suddenly  
recognized the kanji symbol. It meant "bad".  
  
Sano turned around to look at her and she met his eyes.  
  
"Sure thing," she said as she caught up with him. "Bad boys sure do come in   
handy every now  
and then don't they?" she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.  
********  
Mia looked at the situation at hand. It was... a mess. A group of three   
ten year olds decided that  
they could fight with little rat like things.  
  
When she calmly explained that, No, they would only DIE, they didn't seem to   
give up. Luckily,  
another group with similar animals (yet older kids) had came in and taken   
them off, down  
towards the bunkers, out of harms way.  
  
She'd have to thank that Tai kid later.  
  
"Next!"  
  
"Mia. You need a rest. Kay and Cale will do the next shift. Come on,   
love."  
  
Mia looked up to her boyfriend. She wanted to go, really. She also wanted   
to finish sorting so  
she could find Yulie... she just KNEW that that boy had snuck off some   
where, probably down to  
Earth to see the guys. And get him self in a whole pack of wacky trouble.   
Himf. And Relena  
was late calling... HQ had gone out, but they were late coming back... she   
was worried.  
  
And she couldn't leave. Not now.  
  
Anubis wasn't to be dissuaded, though. "Come on Mia! Come on... At least   
eat lunch. You  
gotta eat."  
  
Just as it looked like she was going to relent, a 5'4" JJ fell, into the   
room.  
~~~~~~~~  
Ariel didn't like this. Some thing didn't FEEL right....  
  
Before she knew what was happening, she was captured.  
  
*Rubia... you will be a fine edition.... Lady Kwena will be pleased. One   
down, four to go....*  
~~~~~~~~  
Cat looked at her surroundings, a girl, a boy, another young man, and Sano.   
She felt...  
comfortable with them... yet tired. As much as she loved her freedom, she   
still missed her  
'friends' she loved being able to do what she wanted, when she wanted...   
but a sense of dread  
washed over her. Something was wrong...very wrong....  
~~~~~~~~  
Aurora walked... entering a small forest. Soon, she was walking on a rocky   
path. Her footing  
slipped, having her fall down a small hill, she managed to slow herself   
before she fell into a  
cataclysm. The smell of rotting flesh was all in closing, and she felt   
sick.  
  
As she rolled out of the way, she noticed a small bit of raspberry cloth...   
Cherri's sweater.  
Looking back at the pit, a wave of nausea hit her again....  
  
This wasn't happening... it couldn't be... Cherri can't be dead. She can't   
be.... Tears formed in her  
eyes... noo....  
  
She clamped her eyes shut and cried out into the night...  
  
"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  



	10. Part 9

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Nine  
  
Yulie Yamano had a little chance to pat himself on the back. Mars was   
doing fine, filled with  
ordinary citizens who had buckled down and where doing in right, unlike the   
mess on Io.  
  
He had made it all the way to the Lunar base. He clutched at the Jewel of   
Life. He knew  
something about them... the gems... the Queits hated the gems... the Jewel   
of Life, the Imperium  
Silver Crystal... they could help!  
  
If he could only get down there....  
  
Little did he know that, even as a thirteen year old, he was being   
watched....  
~~~~~~~~  
Cherri tucked it into his hand. Ryo Sanada, Cye Mouri, Rowen Hashiba, Sage   
Date, and Kento  
Rei Fuan. They had become her life lines for the past few days. She loved   
them more than she  
could stand. They where her brothers.... Ryo.... was special to her. What   
was she DOING think  
about him now? She had given him the letter, she had to get away.  
  
Her blue shirt was missing from her ensemble, tucked away in her back,   
leaving her in boots,  
pants, and a bodice, all of them black. Her long hair was free and wavy   
from the braid that she  
had been wearing. Bending down, she lightly kissed Ryo's forehead. She   
didn't know why, or if  
she did she didn't want to admit it.  
  
Grabbing her bag, she climbed atop the white horse she found in a nearby   
stable. Hoisting  
herself on to the blanket-for-a-saddle, she took one last look at her   
closest friends outside of the  
girls. She may never see them again, she reminded herself. She gripped the   
silver mane of  
Snow, the horse, in the moonlight. Kento looked like he was dreaming of   
food again... Rowen  
had pasted out into a small book she had lent him... Sage was peacefully   
sleeping, though Cye  
was tossing an turning... and Ryo... he was being Ryo... gorgeous.  
  
Sage knew about her secret...and she let the others know in her letter, that   
an a lot more.  
Plugging her mp3 player's headphones in her ears, turning on one of a   
multitude of Savage  
Garden songs, she totted off silently before breaking into a gallop once   
they were out of range of  
the guys.  
  
And as she realized she couldn't see them anymore, tears came out of her   
eyes....  
  
'It's for the best, Cherri... IT really is....'  
~~~~~~~~  
Ryo awoke in the middle of a most... pleasant... dream with an unusual   
feeling. Cherri was gone  
again. Usually, she'd get up to clean herself, not unusual. But instead of   
a tiny note, she left  
about five PAGES with him.  
  
Something felt wrong... really wrong....  
  
He opened the packet, sitting up an looking towards the sunrise, getting   
barely enough light to  
read it:  
  
"Guys:  
  
Cherri here.  
  
^_^ Funny isn't it? You've probably noticed that I've gone, already. What   
you don't know is that  
I'm not coming back....I can't.  
  
You wanted to know the truth... well, this is it.  
  
I told you I was from another time frame. This is true. I'm from another   
planet... another Earth.  
An Earth where none of you guys exist except for in dream worlds. Magic   
doesn't exist there. I  
had the makings of a very ordinary life.  
  
Almost a week ago, that was disrupted when a small group of Queits, posing   
as humans invaded  
my town trying to kill me. And my friends. Trista Meiou, Sailor Pluto,   
brought us here, to end  
your war.  
  
The year there really is 2001. I really am 16. And a junior. No lie. I   
didn't know about any of  
this before hand, not the ring, not my powers, nothing.  
  
Powers? I'm sure you've noticed, I'm different. Not just brainiac   
different, not non-popular  
different. Freak different. I'm a telepath. I don't know how to control   
my psi powers very well,  
Sage has helped me a bit, and I'll be eternally grateful.  
  
You wanted to know what happened, Cye. My two best friends, another   
extremely close friend,  
and a girl I'd never met had to cross the time gates. We were under the   
impression that if we  
didn't stop them here, it would be a massacre and only a matter of time   
before they go to us as  
well. We didn't have a choice. We went.  
  
JJ, the oldest of us, one of my two best friends, found a pendant in a cave.   
Suddenly, she could  
do weird stuff. My close friend Ariel and the other girl, quickly becoming   
my friend, Cat, each  
had gotten another gem by one mean or another. Aurora (my best friend in   
the world... er...  
dimension) and I didn't have anything... but we still fought.  
  
When I went back to that cave, I found a box with my book and packages with   
our names on it. I  
returned to camp, where we were attacked by Queits. I used my powers to   
save Aurora's life. JJ  
killed it and I winced. She asked me why.  
  
When JJ found out that I was using mind control and that I was inside of the   
Queits brains, she  
got mad. It wasn't her fault. As oldest, I guess she though she needed to   
protect us. We got into  
an argument. The amethyst she wore flashed and I was falling down the pit.  
  
Luckily, you guys found me. You saved me. And I can never pay that back.  
  
However, when Kwena jumped into my mind, my previous experience with the   
creatures and her  
own pattern sent me on some kind of memory flash... like seeing the future.  
  
At that time, I had continued on with you guys, under your protection. This   
world was  
demolished, and they where ravaging mine. Everyone I knew was dead. Because   
I stayed with  
you guys instead... because I didn't turn myself over to them."  
  
*No!* Ryo's mind shouted. *No!*  
  
"I thought, what... what if I left you guys. In that future you guys where   
gone. My friends where  
gone. Everyone. My own family had long since died of the Queits attack on   
my home world. If  
I left, I would prevent the attack that killed you. By saving your lives,   
maybe I'll *be* sacrificing  
my own. But if it saves just one other person... it's worth it.  
  
So I'm going. I'm going to find the girls. And I'm going to confront Kwena   
and Morkela,  
something I didn't do there. I'm going to them, although I'm certain it's a   
trap.  
  
I want you guys to know, that I love you all, very much. You'll always be   
with me. Here are a  
few extra pics of me, JJ, Ariel, and Aurora. I don't have one of Cat. Tell   
them... tell them they  
are the best fri-sisters a girl could have.  
  
Love ya, now and forever,  
  
Cherri ^_^"  
  
Emptiness clouded his heart as he looked at the labeled pictures.... One of   
three girls in matching  
skirts and shirts. One of four all wearing jeans and T-shirt's and one of   
her, her school photo,  
smiling pleasantly at the camera.  
  
"Where's Cherri?" Rowen asked.  
  
Ryo looked at him strangely and buried his head into his hands. He had lost   
her... maybe for  
eternity. But he would fight. For her. For them. For *both* their   
universes.  
************  
Something was wrong, so very very wrong. What was it? her mind demanded.   
Unable to sit still  
anymore, she got up and started to pace.  
  
Kenshin, the 28 year old ex-samurai turned vagabond with orange hair and   
crossed scars on his  
cheek, was a very light sleeper. He was siting against a tree with his head   
bowed and his sword  
resting against his shoulder. He heard the shift in movement and lifted his   
head.  
  
"What's wrong Cat-dono?" He asked.  
  
Cat looked into his calm violet eyes with her wild and frightened green   
ones.  
  
"Something's wrong, something is terribly wrong! I have to find the others,   
and I have to find  
them now!" Quickly, almost hysterically, she started shoving her things in   
her bag. Kenshin got  
up and grabbed her shoulders. Forcing her to meet his eyes, he willed her to   
calm down.  
  
"Tell me what's wrong, maybe we can help," he said in his calm, collected   
and slightly feminine  
voice.  
  
"I can't explain. My friends and I, we all split up. And now I just know   
that something horrible  
has happened to them, I just know it! Please Kenshin, you've got to help me   
find them! Please!"  
she begged, tears welling in her eyes. She was entering hysterics, she had   
to help them, she just  
had to!  
  
By then the noise had woken the others up.  
  
"What's going on...?" Yahiko asked in his half-asleep voice. Then he saw Cat   
and was suddenly  
wide awake.  
  
"Everyone, pack up you're things. We're leaving camp, now," he said with a   
pointed look at his  
companions.  
  
Cat sighed with relief and collapsed into Kenshin's arms, giving him a warm   
hug.  
  
"Thank you." She said simply.  
~~~~~~~~  
Ariel was really scared. She had no clue what had happened. One second she   
was in the woods,  
the next she was in this... dungeon... all alone in this horrid place. She   
was sick of this adventure,  
she wanted to go home!  
~~~~~~~~  
Snow was running at her fastest capacity. As if sensing her rider's   
anxiousness to get to the  
destination, she poured all of her speed into the run.  
  
Cherri was hanging on for dear life. Gosh this horse was fast. Suddenly, it   
came to an abrupt  
stop, almost throwing Cherri of in the process.  
  
The brunette looked up and saw the familiar form of Kwena sneering at her.  
  
"So Sapphirine, we meet again. Have you come to give yourself up?" she   
inquired snidely.  
  
"How did you guess?" Cherri responded with a sarcastic sneer of her own as   
she disembarked  
from the horse.  
  
Kwena looked slightly surprised, this was easier than she had originally   
planned. She had thought  
the girl would have put up a minor resistance but, guess not.  
  
"Well, you just made my life a whole lot easier," she said as her snide grin   
slid back into place.  
  
Suddenly Cherri was encased in what seemed to be a box made out of smokey   
quartz.  
  
Kwena laughed then.  
  
"You know what? You giving yourself up won't stop the destruction of the   
worlds, it'll just make  
it easier." And with that she laughed again.  
  
Cherri's eyes grew wide. *No!* she thought. *No! this was supposed to change   
the future for the  
better, not the worst!*  
  
"Heh heh heh, two down, three to go!" Kwena snickered.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Cherri asked, not wanting to believe it meant   
what she thought it  
meant.  
  
"Oh that's right, you don't know yet. Earlier this evening, I caught a   
friend of your's. Does the  
name 'Rubia' ring a bell?" she asked with a snide grin.  
  
*Rubia?... rubies....* Cherri thought. "Ariel!" She said out loud.  
  
"Bingo!" Kwena shouted. This was followed by more cruel laughter and then   
the two forms  
faded, being transported to the hive.  
  



	11. Part 10

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Ten  
  
Cat ears suddenly perked up. 'What was that sound?' she thought. Quickly she   
took off in the  
direction of the sound, Sano and Kenshin hot on her heels. Kaoru and Yahiko   
had been sent  
ahead to the closest base to warn them to keep they're eyes open for the   
other girls.  
  
Cat ran until she reached the cave. Hearing sobbing, she cautiously entered   
the cave. What she  
saw was Aurora sobbing on the floor, clutching a shred of fuchsia materiel.   
The same fuchsia  
materiel Cherri's sweater had been made out of.... *Oh no!* Cat thought.  
  
"Aurora!" She called out.  
  
The girl looked up. "Cat?"  
  
Cat stepped into the light.  
  
"Oh Cat!" Aurora said getting up. The two girls ran at each other and shared   
a fierce hug. Cat  
then reached up and brushed some of the tears from Aurora's face.  
  
"What happened Rora?" She asked in a sympathetic voice.  
  
"I... I came into the cave... I saw the pit and... and... and I found the   
sweater." This was said  
between gasping sobs and at the end the older girl, burst into tears. Cat   
was in shock... *No...  
no... it's not possible... no....* she thought as her mind rejected the   
idea.  
  
Someone cleared they're throat and Cat turned back to see that it was   
Kenshin. He pointed to the  
other end of the cave. Cat turned to look. They had company. Cat shoved   
aurora behind her, the  
girl was in no condition to fight, Sano and Kenshin came up beside her.  
~~~~~~~~  
Ryo looked at the picture in his hand, then at the girls. The red-head   
wasn't in the photograph but  
the brunette was. They must be some of the girls Cherri was talking about.   
The Ronin guys had  
heard the wail of despair and had come running to find the two girls and the   
two men.  
  
"Do you girls by any chance know someone named Cherri Armstrong?" he   
inquired, lifting an  
eyebrow.  
  
The girl in tears looked up at that.  
  
"You know Cher? She's alive? Where is she?!" With each word more and more   
hope filled her  
voice. Suddenly she rushed forward (carefully avoiding the pit) and grabbed   
Ryo by the shirt.  
"Tell me please!" She pleaded, a fierce light invading her eyes.  
  
Ryo carefully disentangled the girl's fingers from his shirt before   
speaking. "We found her in that  
pit about a week or two ago, almost dead. We nursed her back to health. This   
morning, she took  
off and left us this letter and these pictures." He handed the letter to   
Aurora who grasped it  
eagerly. Cat, Sano and Kenshin had been slowly making they're way towards   
Aurora and the new  
men. Cat read the letter over Aurora's shoulder.  
  
After she finished her mind only came up with one thought which she voiced,   
"Not good,  
definitely not good."  
  
"So, which ones are you?" Sage said indicating the pictures.  
  
"I'm Aurora, that one," the brunette said pointing to the pictures.  
  
"I'm Cat, the new girl," Cat said absent-mindedly.  
  
"And you're friends?" Cye asked.  
  
"I'm Kenshin Himura and this is Sanosuke Sagara. We're from one of the scout   
teams," Kenshin  
explained.  
  
"Now you know who we are, but we know nothing about you," Sano said.  
  
"I'm Ryo Sanada," said the one with the letter.  
  
"I'm Sage Date," said the second one.  
  
"I'm Cye Mouri," said the third.  
  
"I'm Rowen Hashiba," said the fourth.  
  
"And I'm Kento Rei Fuan," said the fifth.  
  
"We're the Ronin Warriors," said Ryo.  
************  
JJ didn't WANT to be processed on Io! She wanted to be back on Earth, with   
the girls. This was  
two times two many, two times in haste she had used it and two times it had   
let her down.  
  
She was beginning not to like her pendant as much.  
  
She had to get back soon, something was going down, she could sense it. God   
damn it! She  
wanted to be there! To help. What good was she doing here? She looked   
down at her cup, the  
bad coffee already half gone.  
  
She wanted to go, but she had to wait for clearance and a ship that they   
could squeeze her in on,  
the pendant seemed not to return her. This thing wasn't making a very good   
impression, that's for  
sure.  
  
Flopping back down in her seat, she sighed. She was NEVER gonna get of this   
rock.  
  
"I just want to get out of this place!!!"  
  
"Really?" a male voice asked. "Couldn't tell."  
~~~~~~~~  
Ryo looked on... trying not to let his anger get the best of him. After   
all, Aurora and Cye had hit  
it off, Cat seemed to keep Kento's attention, well her and her other band of   
friends.  
  
Things where looking up... there!  
  
There in the middle of the road was Cherri's back pack, waiting her. She   
was gone. The white  
horse there neighed and looked on, as if in sorrow.  
  
*Cherri... where did you go?*  
~~~~~~~~  
Her head hurt, her eyes hurt, everything hurt. She was in a dark room,   
with several spot lights  
giving of visible light... like what jewelry stores had on the really   
expensive pieces.  
  
The once smokey quarts had taken on a blueish hue, and she found she could   
walk straight  
through. Upon removing herself from the box, she noticed everything had   
changed.  
  
A double-layer deep, blue, silk dress covered her body, starting at a normal   
shade at the tiny  
straps and ending at midnight at her feet. Long satin dinner gloves, the   
same shade as the lighter  
blue adorned her arms, and her ring was still in place. The low cut of the   
dress showed quite a  
bit of cleavage, but not enough to make her feel totally naked --not until   
she realized her bra was  
gone and that these WEREN'T her undergarments at all. God, she had always   
hated thongs....  
  
A simple chiffon wrap had been left in the box, but with all the jewelry,   
she had no idea on how  
to wear it without ruining it. A large sapphire sat on her chest,   
surrounded by diamonds, and  
lighter sapphires. Each wrist had a small silver bracelet and a tear-drop   
sapphire that hung right  
on the center of the top of her hand. Her long hair was up in curls, some   
gracefully tumbling out  
of the sapphire and diamond tiara she wore. Some small braids also crowned   
her head, giving  
her the look of royalty. Matching tear-drop sapphire earrings brushed her   
chin, mixed among  
the golden curls.  
  
Her make-up was done to make her look more sophisticated, her deep maroon   
lips with a hint of  
red and a frosted coat, her eyes in deep browns and tan's to bring out her   
naturally high cheeks,  
which had rose blush on them.  
  
Looking in the mirror, although the girl was beautiful, even by Cherri's   
standards, it wasn't her.  
  
Looking around, which was hard in the form fitting dress and the four-inch   
heels, she saw, not  
only her tomb, but four others. Three where still grey, but Ariel's....  
  
Hurrying over, as fast as she could, she tried to wake her up. To no avail.   
The box was taking on  
a red hue, she noted, not as vibrant as her blue on... it was a matter of   
time.  
  
Ariel had been fitted similarly, rubies dropping off every place, the deep   
red velvet, plush and  
hugging the smaller girl, her leg barely sticking out the slits on the   
sides. Cherri thank the people  
for that... but about this low back.... Her face had been done similarly,   
with red's instead of brown  
and bright red lips. Oval choker, oval earrings, large oval bracelets, ruby   
studded sandals, and a  
tiara of gold and ruby, on gem. Her original necklace still dangled from   
her neck.  
  
Cherri in blue and silver. Ariel in red and gold. Looking at the others,   
she could see the colors -  
amber and black, green and white, and purple and rose. This wasn't   
right....  
  
In the center of the room was a simple jewel stand, and it awaited five gems   
besides the ones  
already there. *No....*  
  
'They only want the jewels! Ariel, you gotta wake up!'  
  
"Are you awake?" a female voice asked.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Yes.... You're thinking of escaping aren't you?"  
  
"The first duty of a prisoner is to escape," Cherri replied.  
  
"So if you are of love, you must escape - to loneliness? If you are a   
prisoner of joy, must you  
escape to sorrow? From life, to death? your logic is flawed. Good day,   
princess."  
  
"I'm no princess."  
  
"You will be, once Morkela has his way with you."  
  
"Will you stop him?" she asked.  
  
"I can try," the voice replied.  
  
"How will I find you again?"  
  
"You'll know. I bid you farewell, for now. I'll see you again... when the   
time comes."  
  
Cherri had barely time to remember the conversation when a six-foot-four man   
appeared in the  
room, followed by another one, about 5'11". The shorter one started   
starring at Ariel, while the  
taller one approached her.  
  
"My, my, my... are we lovely. Are you okay? Kwena didn't harm you?" his   
rich and deep voice  
asked.  
  
"Other than kidnap me, running in my brain, and separating and/or killing   
everyone I ever knew  
or loved?" Cherri asked, sarcastically. "Nope, she left me alone mostly."  
  
The mas tsked. "Such an attitude. What a shame. You know, you're ALMOST   
perfect. Just the  
eyes... they aren't blue. Such a pity. We will have to fix that."  
  
Cherri averted her gaze for a moment, Ariel was getting out. "What do you   
mean... fix that?  
They are fine... not perfectly colored, but fine. I like them as they are."   
She turned and glared.  
  
"Don't you talk back to me, wench!" Morkela said, grabbing the smaller girl   
in his muscular  
grasp. "I'm in charge here, and I'll do what ever I want to you, bitch!"  
  
Then some one pulled him off. "Get her and run, Sapphirine!" That   
voice....  
  
"Insubordination!" Morkela roared, trying to get the attacker, but failing   
before the tranquilizer  
she had given him kicked in.  
  
Cherri needed no other order, She ran, breaking her heels, pulling up   
skirts to run from. *I'm  
probably giving them all a free show,* she thought. *And of course, Morkela   
had a thing for  
thongs and garters... just my luck....* Grabbing Ariel away from the other   
man (who was  
backing away slowly) she ran for the door.  
  
Up one corridor, down the next until they reached a dead end.  
  
"Pst! Hey girls! Come with me!"  
  
The sixteen year-olds saw a servant girl in a rather large dumb waiter.   
Climbing in, the maid said  
that one of the Nine had sent her to help them escape. And that the went   
left, down two doors  
and to the gates. Then, with any luck, they should be taken back to where   
they where taken -- if  
their gems still worked correctly.  
  
Thanking her, the MHHS girls jumped out, Cherri hitching up skirts, both   
carrying heels (which  
Cherri's had miraculously *not* broken, and followed directions. Soon they   
were on their way  
back.  
~~~~~~~~  
Ryo looked at the pictures. It couldn't be. She wasn't really gone, she'd   
be back.  
  
*Who am I kidding? She'd probably dead. No one comes back alive. I should   
have been more  
forward about our whole situation. If I only hadn't protected her so   
much... if I would of listen  
more and loved her less... she might be here today!*  
  
A crack of light filled the air, blinding Ryo from his room in a small hotel   
that the group had  
"checked" into.  
  
Ryo came out running, the others quick behind. Aurora was the first  
to recognize them - despite the clothing change and the dirt smudges..  
  
"Cherri! Ariel! You're alive. Oh my God, you're alive!"  
  
Cat and Aurora rushed the girls, hugging and crying at the other two did the   
same. Cat and Rora  
shuttered Ariel off for introductions, leaving Ryo and Cherri to there much   
needed... ahem...  
*quiet* time. Not undoubtedly to find a good spying spot and fill Ariel in.  
  
"Ryo."  
  
"Cher."  
  
"Ryo!!" she said, tiredly, excited, happy and sad at the same time. She   
rushed in for her hug. She  
didn't realize... how much she had missed *him* in particular. Only two   
days... but... it was  
enough.  
  
Ryo hugged her back, gladly accepting her back. Holding her tight... he   
vowed not to let her go  
off like that again. She was crying. What had he done to her?  
  
Slowly, he led her back inside, listening and comforting.  
  
"Man! They moved!" Cat said angrily yet teasing.  
  
"I see them!" Aurora said smugly. "And I think little miss Ariel has found   
her own hunkasauris  
in Mr. Date."  
  
"No way," Cat said. Looking over, she noticed that, yes, Ariel had taken a   
shine to the quiet boy  
in green... glancing over she say Ryo and Cherri. "Has Cherri ever had a   
boyfriend? A date?  
Her first kiss?"  
  
"No... why?" Aurora asked giving Cat a weird look from her tree to the   
red-head's one.  
  
"Lookie at Pryo and Cher-Bear."  
  
Aurora gasped and smiled. "This should be interesting... we've got to ask   
her tonight!"  
  
"Right! Embarrassment, big time! And we are only one way from getting back   
together! Bet  
Cher will be glad to work things out."  
  
"Yeah," Aurora added. "If we can find JJ. And if we can get out of these   
trees without the other  
two knowing!"  
  
Cat realized, that even if they did come down perfectly, they would be   
caught. *Uh oh.....*  



	12. Part 11

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Eleven  
  
*Where the hell did she go?* Sano thought. He'd looked everywhere and still   
had seen no sign  
red-head Scots-woman.  
  
Then again, he hadn't seen any sign of that Aurora girl either. The last   
time he'd seen either of  
them, had been just after Ryo saw the new girl in blue....  
  
*What are they up to....*  
~~~~~~~~  
Cat and Aurora were still sitting in the tree watching Ryo and Cherri and   
trying they're best to  
stifle they're giggles. Come on, you have to admit, it is pretty funny, I   
mean them stuck in a tree  
until the two leave (which does not seem to be any time soon *^-^*)  
  
Cat was getting bored, they already had more than enough embarrassing   
stories of Cherri and  
Ariel (heh heh heh) and her back was starting to hurt. So, it was time to   
get out.  
  
"Hey Aurora, here's what we'll do," Cat started.  
  
"Okay, I'm listening," Aurora responded, she was beginning to get a bit sore   
herself.  
  
"Desperate times call for desperate measures so here's the plan. We shall   
use the tactics of  
gazelles. On three we jump. The jump will undoubtably attract attention and   
cause people to get  
mad and chase us. Once we jump, we take off as fast as possible, weave   
around, run in zig-zags  
and basically, mess them up. I'm going to run right, you run left, we're   
harder to catch if we split  
up. We rendezvous back at the inn and hide behind Sano, he's my bodyguard,   
he'll protect us."  
Cat said in a very conspirator voice.  
  
"Sano's Rooster-boy right? The fox with the brown spiky hair?" Aurora asked,   
just to be sure.  
  
Cat grinned. "That's him."  
  
"ROOSTER-BOY!!!!!!!!" a deep voice exploded from underneath them.  
  
Cat and Aurora's eyes grew wide and both of them looked down to see a very   
pissed of Sanosuke  
Sagara.  
  
"Eep!"  
~~~~~~~~  
Sano had decided to venture over to where the new arrivals were hanging out   
in hopes of finding  
Cat and Aurora's hiding spots.  
  
He had noticed to trees that were rustling and had walked over there. Once   
he'd gotten there, he  
heard two voices whispering above him. He looked up and sure enough there   
was Cat and  
Aurora, hiding in the trees like over grown birds.  
  
"Sano's Rooster-boy right? The fox with the brown spiky hair?" Aurora asked,   
just as Sano  
reached the trees.  
  
Cat grinned. "That's him." Cat was agreeing with her!  
  
"ROOSTER-BOY!!!!!!!!!!" he exploded underneath them.  
  
Rooster-boy was his hated nick-name that had been given to him by   
broom-head, an enemy he  
and Hajime (a police officer and one of Kenshin's old rivals) had   
interrogated.  
  
Ryo and Cherri both looked up at the yell as did Ariel and Sage. All four   
looked in they're  
direction and saw the two girls and the flaming Sanosuke.  
  
"Eep!" Cat said.  
  
"Busted...." Aurora said.  
  
Simultaneously, the four that had been spied on scowled and got up, making   
they're way towards  
the trees.  
  
"Aurora, RUN FOR YOU'RE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Cat yelled.  
  
Both girls jumped and took off in opposite directions, both weaving in and   
out of trees shrubs  
and people. Both had a very angry Ronin and a very angry crystal magician on   
they're tails.  
  
Now, Cat was an expert runner and was soon outdistancing Ryo and Cherri but   
Aurora wasn't as  
lucky. Sage and Ariel were hot on her trail, a mere four paces behind her   
and they were gaining  
fast.  
  
"AHHHH!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!" Aurora yelled as she ran straight into Kenshin   
Himura.  
  
Aurora was a good six inches taller than Kenshin and had a good twenty   
pounds on the small  
ex-samurai so needless to say, Kenshin was flattened.  
  
Aurora ran straight into his back knocking him over and going flying   
herself. Sage and Ariel who  
were to close to be able to stop collided with Kenshin and Aurora. When the   
dust settled, all that  
was visible was a pile of tangled limbs and a very dazed Kenshin at the   
bottom of the pile.  
  
"Oro...." Kenshin stated dazedly as his eyes continued to spin.  
  
Cat saw this and stopped running. As did Ryo and Cherri. All three stared   
for a moment and then  
fell to the ground with laughter.  
  



	13. Part 12

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Twelve  
  
JJ spun around to meet the man who had spoken, taking an instant defensive   
position.  
  
Kilik just raised his hands to show her he wasn't going to attack her. He   
was taller then her  
(most people were) and had long brown hair pulled into a pony tail and brown   
eyes.  
  
JJ eyed him carefully. "Who are you?" she demanded not coming out of her   
stance.  
  
"Kilik," he said simply.  
  
JJ blinked then relaxed after studying him for a while longer. "Janis   
Hunter, JJ for short," she  
said extending a hand.  
  
He took it and was surprised by the grip. "Why do you want to leave here?"   
he asked releasing  
her hand.  
  
JJ sighed and looked out the huge window again. "I have friends down there.   
They're facing the  
Queits all by themselves and I want to help," she said sadly.  
  
"I know how you feel," another male voice said from her other side.  
  
JJ looked up into the blue-green eyes of another young man with long blonde   
hair, also pulled  
back into a pony tail except for the long bangs that hung in front of his   
left eye.  
  
"This is my friend Siegfried," Kilik told her.  
  
"Nice to meet you," JJ said. She turned back to looking out the window   
resting her forehead  
against the glass.  
  
The two young men looked over her back at each other and shrugged. Mia had   
been right, she  
was depressed. She had sent the two young men to go and find her and try   
and cheer her up  
some how.  
  
JJ began banging her head against the glass.  
  
Siegfried grabbed her head stopping her. "Hey now don't do that," he said.  
  
JJ jerked away from him. "Listen," she ordered wagging her finger in his   
face, "if I want to  
pound myself into unconsciousness, I'll bloody well do it!"  
  
Kilik placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Relax JJ," he said soothingly.   
"It'll be all right in the  
end."  
  
JJ shrugged his hand off. Tears had come unbidden to her eyes. "No it   
won't! My friends are  
down there dealing with something awful, I caused one of them to disappear   
into danger, and I  
can't do anything to search for her, say I'm sorry, or help! And I hate   
being helpless!"  
  
"JJ," Siegfried started stepping forward.  
  
JJ shoved him aside and darted away from them pushing past two brown haired   
girls on her way.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Xianghua asked approaching the two young men.  
  
Kilik sighed. "She feels helpless," he explained.  
  
Seung Mina nodded. "Would it be possible to get her to come down with us   
when we go to  
fight?" she asked suddenly.  
  
Siegfried sighed. "I could ask Mia about it," he said. "We'll see what she   
says though."  
  
Two other men approached them, one had black hair in an Elvis style and   
brown eyes, the other  
had spiky brown hair and serious brown eyes.  
  
"Any word from Earth's HQ?" Xianghua asked them.  
  
Hwang shook his head his brown eyes even more serious. "We're going to have   
to go down  
tomorrow to find out and help them."  
  
The others nodded.  
  
"Did you find her?" black haired Maxi asked.  
  
"Yes," Kilik said, "but she just ran off crying."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She has friends down on Earth who are in possible trouble, she feels   
helpless being up here,"  
Siegfried answered.  
  
"Don't we all," Hwang said softly looking out of the window into space.   
"Don't we all...."  
~~~~~~~~  
JJ laid on the bunk in the tiny room given her and cried as memories of a   
painful youth plagued  
her.  
  
Her fathers death.... Her mothers remarriage.... Her new father.... His   
abuse of her.... Feeling  
helpless as he hits her mother over and over again.... Her mother and her   
leaving.... Him finding  
them.... Calling the police as he tried to rape her mother and kill her....   
Promising on her  
mother's grave that she'll never be helpless again....  
  
All before she was 7 years old. And the others never were told.  
  
She sobbed. She hated being helpless. Hated it with a passion.  
  
Age 15, her step-father escaped from prison.... Found her and her   
grandmother.... Hit her  
grandmother.... Coming after her.... She beating him up for a change until   
the police come....  
  
"I'll never be helpless again!" she sobbed forcefully to herself.  
  
Suddenly she felt tired. She felt an unnatural force causing her eyes to   
close in sleep. She let it.  
***Begin Dream***  
"Why do you cry?" a female voice asked her as she floated through a   
space-like dream scape.  
  
"I'm helpless," JJ answered.  
  
"Why don't you use the jewel?" the female asked.  
  
JJ could see her now. She had her back turned to her and was standing on   
the flat surface of a  
large android that didn't move and was shining with all sorts of precious   
jewels.  
  
"This!" she exclaimed touching her pendant. "Why should I! All it's done   
is betray me and  
make me hurt!"  
  
The female sighed. "It wouldn't if you could accept the change."  
  
"Change?" By this time JJ had set foot on the android and stood looking at   
her.  
  
The woman turned. JJ gasped. It was her! In every detail it was her,   
except for her eyes, they  
were the color of amethyst, like her dress.  
  
"The power that lies within you. Why do you not accept it and the change it   
will cause in your  
life?" she asked.  
  
"You're me...." JJ breathed.  
  
The woman smiled gently. "I am, in a way. I am the first user of your   
pendant."  
  
JJ touched it.  
  
"I am here to help guide you to learn your new abilities."  
  
JJ looked down at the pendant in her hands. It twinkled up at her.  
  
The woman stepped forward and placed a hand on JJ's shoulder. "It's   
alright," she said gently.  
"It will change you, but it will help you with your vow and promise not to   
be helpless again."  
  
JJ looked up at her from beneath her eyelashes. "That's a low blow," she   
remarked.  
  
The woman grinned. "I know, but it reached you didn't it?"  
  
JJ sighed. "It did." She looked at the jewel again. She had to accept it.   
It was the only way she  
could get back to her friends and to help this world and hers from these   
invaders. She sighed  
again. "All right," she said. "What do I do?"  
  
The woman smiled. "Good. Just open your heart and mind to your new powers,   
accept them and  
let them bond with you."  
  
JJ nodded and closed her eyes. She emptied her mind of all thoughts and   
relaxed.  
  
It was there, a pulsing purple colored pool of power just below her   
conscious mind. 'Accept  
them... let them bond with you....' She remembered the woman's words.  
  
Reaching out with her minds hand she touched the pool of power and then   
opened all gates to it.  
***End Dream***  
She woke with a start, feeling different. She knew she had a lot to learn,   
but those books in that  
packet she had yet to open should help her learn. Now that she thought   
about it, she had been in  
the same outfit for over a week. She sniffed herself. She also hadn't had   
a bath in over a week.  
Getting to her feet she grabbed her backpack and headed out of her tiny room   
to ask the first  
person she met where the showers were.  
************  
Aurora, Sage, Kenshin, and Ariel tried to untangle themselves, which was   
quite hard for Ariel to  
do because of the slits in her dress, but she managed it. Cat, Cherri, and   
Ryo were still rolling on  
the ground laughing, but they soon got up. Cherri and Ryo quickly grabbed   
Cat before she could  
begin to run again, and Ariel and Sage grabbed Aurora.  
  
"Were you spying on us earlier?!" Cherri asked. Cat and Aurora looked at   
each other, then  
nodded slowly. They let them go.  
  
"If you were that interested, you just could have asked us later," Ariel   
said, starting to think this  
whole situation quite humorous. Suddenly, she felt something that made the   
hairs on the back of  
her neck stand up straight. "Guys, I think we have company coming," she said   
quietly.  
  
Cherri nodded in agreement with her. "We'd better get back to the inn   
quickly, before the Queits  
come upon us," She whispered, motioning for them to follow her. They nearly   
ran back to the  
inn, and everyone gathered in the Ronin's room.  
  
"We had all better stay together, just in case," Aurora said. She looked   
for a place to sit.  
Everyone nodded.  
  
"How close are they?" Cat asked. She looked ready and eager to fight.  
  
"Not far off, but I don't think they'll come here. They don't know exactly   
where we are, but I'm  
sure they know the general area. Damn Morkela," Cherri said, scooting   
closer to Ryo  
unconsciously.  
  
"Don't worry girls, we won't let anything happen to you," Kento said. Cat   
gave him "The Look."  
  
"I can take care of myself, thank you," she said sarcastically.  
  
"We know you can, we're just offering our services, that's all," Sano said   
sitting next to Cat on  
the floor.  
  
"Cherri, do you think we can change clothes? These slits really suck eggs   
out of hens," Ariel  
asked.  
  
She laughed, then nodded. Cat and Aurora went into the next room with them,   
and Cherri and  
Ariel quickly changed into somewhat normal clothes.  
  
Ariel changed into a sleeveless red tank with what looked the like the   
Japanese symbol for fire on  
it and black pants with purple hiking boots.  
  
Cherri changed into a pretty blue silk shirt with light blue pants and blue   
sneakers.  
  
They went back out to the other room, and tried and get comfortable.   
Finally, almost everyone  
was asleep. Cat was lying on the floor with Sano and Kenshin near her.   
Cherri is laid on the  
couch with Ryo's arms around her. Aurora was curled up in a corner near   
Cye. And Ariel laid  
near Sage and the door.  
  
Right before Ariel fell asleep, she thought to herself, *Where could JJ be?   
I hope she's alright, I  
pray she's alright. Keep yourself safe JJ, and come back soon please. We   
need you.*  
************  
The room was quiet. Everyone was asleep, all was peaceful with one   
exception. One girl  
flinching every now and then as if in pain. The pain though, came from the   
inside.  
***Begin Dream***  
She was standing alone in space. There was nothing around her, above her,   
beneath her. Only  
darkness, everywhere.  
  
She looked around slowly. There seemed to be some kind of spot light   
projected on top of her  
for. For what seemed like eternity, nothing moved.  
  
Suddenly there was a flash and a huge image like hologram projected itself   
in front of her.  
  
It was a familiar scene. One that had plagued her dreams since her   
grandmother had died.  
  
It was a woman that looked just like her only with blonde hair. The same   
green eyes, the same  
height, the same built, the same bracelet. She was wearing a beautiful gown   
that started white at  
the top and faded into dark green at the bottom. The neckline was very wide   
and fell off her  
shoulders. The dress was suspended by two thin almost invisible straps that   
went around her  
neck. She had a tiara made of platinum and emeralds adorning her head.   
Emerald stars hung from  
her ears and from a white choker around her neck. The dress was tight and   
thin, very fragile and  
delicate. It was slit from the hips down to the floor and both halves of the   
skirt fluttered elegantly  
in the thin breeze that the dreamer could not feel.  
  
The woman looked at her. Her eyes were so sad and remorseful. As if saying,   
forgive me.... Tears  
were slowly gathering in her eyes, her composure was breaking. Her full lips   
whispered  
something the dreamer was not meant to hear. A single tear then fell from   
her eye as she slowly  
turned away, walking and fading into the darkness.  
  
Behind her a new light formed, a new figure emerged from the darkness. It   
was a stockily built  
and tall man. He had cornflower blue eyes and dark red hair. He was wearing   
armor encrusted  
with emeralds and made out of platinum and steel. He wielded a huge sword,   
mercilessly  
slashing his way towards were the woman had disappeared. Bodies fell to his   
feet as he  
continued on.  
  
The woman than appeared before him. The look in her eyes even sadder than   
before. The man's  
face contorted with love and relief as he rushed towards the woman. The   
woman held up her  
hands to stop him. Confused and hurt, he stopped. Tears were spilling down   
her face as she  
opened her mouth, chanting words of magic. The man watched her, his own eyes   
now spilling  
tears. He stood up straight. The tears ceased. He gave her the same sad look   
only her's had been  
remorseful, his were forgiving.  
  
Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of emerald light. Before the woman now   
stood a huge griffin.  
It had iridescent black feathers and fur that reflected emerald with   
menacing claws and beak that  
same shade as white gold. The woman behind the creature looked away and   
pointed at the man.  
The griffin charged. The man was no more.  
  
Suddenly that vision faded to show the woman sobbing silently on the floor.   
A tall imposing and  
dark stranger loomed behind her. His face was hidden behind a black cloak   
and a menacing  
helmet. He also had a sword. He raised it and brought it back down on the   
woman.  
  
Her head rolled away from her body. Her blood stained the floor. It was as   
if the woman and the  
man were standing on a pedestal or a sacrificial altar as the beheading was   
performed. The blood  
dripped from the edges of it.  
  
The dreamer was in tears. She could feel the pain of the woman and the   
red-haired man. She felt  
a profound hatred towards the stranger. She collapsed in tears on the   
ground.  
  
Suddenly there was another flash of light. This had never happened before.   
Usually this was  
when she woke up. She looked up alarmed. She there was a battle raging all   
around her. She  
looked at herself, she was dressed just as the blonde woman had been. She   
looked in front of  
herself, a man was making his way towards her slicing down his opponents   
with a smaller sword  
than the red-haired man. As he got closer, the dreamer could make out his   
face. He was  
handsome with brown eyes and spiky brown hair. He was wearing a red bandana   
and his fists  
were wrapped in boxing cloth. As he saw her his eyes filled with relief and   
the with confusion.  
The dreamer looked and saw that her own hands were raised, warning the man   
off.  
  
Suddenly her lips were moving, summoning the griffin. The man looked at her   
with such pain  
and confusion, she had to look away. The griffin appeared. The dreamer   
pointed. Suddenly there  
was a brilliant flash of light and the dreamers eyes shot wide open.  
***End Dream***  
Cat looked around the room, unsure of her surrounding. Her body was coated   
in a cold sweat, she  
was so afraid. She sat up and lifted her knees. She then crossed her arms   
over them and rested her  
head on her arms. Her breathing was ragged and uneven, she needed fresh air.   
She got up, careful  
not to disturb anyone and made her way outside.  
  
She sat beside the doorway, not wanting to go far with the Queits around. It   
was very early or late  
depending on how you looked at it. She judged it was about two or three in   
the morning. The  
stars were still up in the night sky, twinkling reassuringly. Cat had the   
sudden urge to pull out her  
pan flute but that would attract the enemy. She sighed and gazed at the sky.   
After a few minutes,  
the door beside her opened to reveal Ariel standing there. She saw Cat and   
sat down beside her.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.  
  
"A recurring nightmare took on an all too real twist," Cat said in a   
slightly mocking voice.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ariel asked with a sympathetic tone.  
  
"No... I don't... I just need to think a bit...." Cat said quietly.  
  
"Would you like me to stay with you?" Ariel asked again in that same   
sympathetic tone.  
  
"Yeah actually... I don't really want to be alone right now...." Cat   
admitted sadly.  
  
Ariel nodded and put her arm across Cat's shoulders, pulling her into a   
friendly embrace. Cat  
leaned against her, grateful for the human contact, something she got very   
little of.  
  
After a little while, as the sky started to lighten imperceptibly. (It seems   
like it's summer in that  
world so the sun rises early), Cat whispered very quietly,  
  
"Thanks Ariel, you're the best."  
  
"My pleasure, now what do you say we go back inside now, we should try to   
get a little more  
sleep," Ariel responded, also whispering.  
  
Cat nodded and the two got up together and returned to they're room. The   
only change this time  
was that instead of Cat returning to her spot next to Sano's shoulder, she   
sat in the window and  
watched the sunrise, unable and afraid to sleep any more.  
************  
Cherri laid down. She was glad that the store had brought in more 'normal'   
clothing for the inn  
and that they had them ready -- she really didn't want to wear another of   
the packet's clothes...  
yet. If she was going to fight, she wanted to save them.  
  
Actually, she had half way tempted to borrow one of Ryo's shirts... until   
the whole spying  
incident.  
  
They weren't really boyfriend and girlfriend were they? It was just a kiss.  
  
*But your first kiss,* her mind reminded.  
  
And what a kiss. Heaven... completely... she couldn't described what it   
felt like. He made some  
comment about how she was like a goddess or something, she told him that she   
wasn't an looked  
away... she didn't want to be lied to... not my him... she cared to much.   
But when he pulled her  
face in and looked in her eyes and told her that she was pretty... it was   
too much... she looked at  
him... and made the first move....  
  
Sure, He kissed HER... but, she was ready... he was glad he waited..but now   
things were kind of  
messed up. Hm. Why can't thinks be easy?  
  
*Because things that don't kill you make you stronger,* she could almost   
hear her mom say.  
  
True. And Ryo wouldn't kill her... but would he really strengthen her? She   
was independent and  
every other semi-serious relationship left her cold before anything   
happened.  
  
She wanted this to be different. It felt so right... she hoped that the   
others would accept her... and  
with that, she drifted off to dream land... Ryo with his arms around her....  
***Begin Dream***  
Sand.  
  
Sand was underfoot, in the wind, all around.  
  
In her mouth... her hair was blowing inwards as well. She couldn't  
see. A guy was coming.... *Kento,* she thought.  
  
"Saf! Saaappphhh! Saff, where are ya?"  
  
"Kento? KEENNTTOOO!!" the man stepped up to her, though she still was   
squinting from the  
sand. "Where are the guys, what's going on? Where's Ryo? Are you okay?"  
  
"Rina, I should ask you that, you aren't makin' sense... Hariel's worried   
sick 'bout 'cha. Come  
on... back to the...."  
  
Suddenly, she was in the jungle, hot, sweaty, damp jungle. Her body seemed   
heavier, thick with  
muscle and trained. She wore face paint and fatigues with a sports bra. She   
was only in her late  
twenties, she guessed. Looking around she saw a boat and a wide river....  
  
"Cher-ca? Where to?" A muscular boy asked. His dark hair had browner   
tinges and his eyes  
had green rims.... "Mom?" he asked tentatively. "Don't worry, we'll get   
them back. And we'll  
avenge Dad."  
  
"What!?!"  
  
Floating in space... she feel her skin prickle... the coldness... but the   
stars, they were so bright....  
  
"There is a lull in the war, General. The Captain his Guard are awaiting   
your presence. President  
Yuy is awaiting you, as well."  
  
"Thanks, Corwin," she said her graying hair pulled back, tight. *Heero's   
daughter is already  
running things,.* "This is Sanada to C&C, I'm on my way."  
  
In a bar....  
  
"Ryo, I don't like it."  
  
"You just got a promotion! What's not to like?"  
  
"The direction this war is going. I'll be here all my LIFE! I've been her   
for THREE years! And  
it's getting worse. I can't feel them anymore!"  
  
"COMMANDER, I *still* am your commanding officer, I won't take   
insubordination."  
  
"And I'm your wife, and I won't take talk back from my husband."  
  
As soon as she uttered those words, she fell into a huge snow bank...   
knowing by the soft loam  
underneath that she was in a cemetery... she wasn't in control... it had   
been a long time since she  
hadn't had some control... what was the purpose to show her this?  
  
"So you realize what you might have to do," a voice said as the snow and   
coldness was swept  
away, leaving her in a large back room. The woman's voice was gentle and   
light, with and  
underlying current of steel, like she was trying not to show emotion....  
  
Looking at her, the classic beauty was evident... she was a goddess... her   
sunshine hair... azure  
eyes... and the clothing... so extravagant....  
  
"I'm not pretty. I'm just a girl, albeit raised as a queen."  
  
Cherri scoffed. *Yeah... right....*  
  
"I tell you the truth, little Cherry. My, you remind me so much of your dad   
and my daughter...."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I'm Sapphirine, your great-grandmother."  
  
Cherri felt faint.  
  
So she did.  
  
"You're not real, you know. You probably weren't ever alive. I don't   
believe you. And even if  
you were, you're dead and should get out."  
  
"Cherri. I am Sapphirine. I'm your great-grandmother. You have to believe   
me."  
  
"I don't, I can't and I won't."  
  
"Fine then. GO! I'll see you when your ready to accept your jewel."  
  
"I will never accept it. Obviously, when I did, I lost EVERYTHING. I may   
seem a little stingy  
here, but I won't let my friends... Ryo... my family... my LIFE be destroyed   
by some STUPID  
ring!" Cherri yelled, her voice getting louder.  
  
"But, you could change that! I've tried to warn you earlier! YOU wouldn't   
listen! Listen now!  
Don't go through it again!" Saf's voice raising as well.  
  
"You!" her voice coiled, seeming more hideous than ever before "You're the   
one who gave me  
this infernal curse! And went into my brain! You tortured me with all   
those dreams in the  
helicopter and when I was healing from the pit! I can't tolerate what   
you've done."  
  
"But... we've changed it already. The first prophecy... of your falling   
back, it happen, and being  
Morkela's slave didn't happen either."  
  
"It was too close."  
  
"But you know. Some things are unavoidable. Some will fall, some will   
join. All I can do is  
warn you... and hope that you don't make the same mistakes that have been   
made.... And I'll  
come back when your ready. Goodbye, Little Cher." The older girl's head   
dropped with her  
voice. The twenty-year old looked older now... not the same woman....  
  
Cherri couldn't stand it. "Show me." She ran up to the woman, hugging her,   
"Grand-mama."  
  
The woman smiled.  
  
"Of course, ma Cherrie."  
~~~~~~~~  
Cherri found twenty-year old version of herself wondering why Kento didn't   
tell her that Ryo  
could still be alive! But... the man in front of her was lecturing her   
about the Queits beliefs and  
those of their companions.... She was on their home planet.  
  
She knew that this wasn't her Ryo. It was close. Physically, mechanically,   
verbally... but HE...  
his soul wasn't there.  
  
"Yes, well, he was given a choice. Ryo here didn't choose wisely, and was   
put in as a CPU in  
one of our ships. Once we found out who he was and who you ARE we pulled   
him out... but  
you're never quite the same after being inside one of the ships."  
  
*No....*  
  
In a flash she saw many of the same visions she had seen before... things   
she had yet to fix. They  
had to be done soon. She had felt JJ earlier, but the last (and the most   
current) vision *still* had  
her sprawled out on the floor... dying... a crash... something went wrong.  
  
It was coming... soon... she could feel it... she had to stop it. She  
could see it... no... JJ... JJ!!!!!!!!  
***End Dream***  
  



	14. Part 13

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Thirteen  
  
She woke up in a cold sweat... her body ached...  
  
Ryo looked at her, again. He swore she was calling his name. But she was   
up now, and look  
terrified.  
  
"What's that matter, Cherri?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Bad dreams?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Wanna talk about it? Get some fresh air? It's only two AM."  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"I-" Her voice cracked, her body now stable, she tried again. "I just want   
to rest now... eat later...  
and talk to you... about us... later... I'm just tired."  
  
"Cher, we're together, that's all that matters. This stupid nightmare   
scared you to much, ignore  
it," he whispered, drawing her into his arms and kissing her temple. "Try   
and sleep now."  
  
It didn't take long for her to sleep again, her body was tired even if her   
mind wasn't, but forget the  
dream?  
  
She couldn't even if she wanted to. And she did.  
************  
The Soul Calibur fighters, Mia and the Warlords, and others who had power   
and were on Io sat  
in the mess hall talking and eating. Their discussions were varied, from   
how to defeat the Queits  
to how many fights they had won before the take over, to how well they   
'scored' last night.  
  
"Joe shut up," Sophitia Alexandra commented to the handsome kickboxer. She   
didn't look up to  
see how her comment was taken, sipping her drink slowly, her green eyes   
closed.  
  
"You're just jealous that it wasn't you," he teased.  
  
"I'm happily married thank you very much," she said. *Although I don't know   
where my  
husband is....* She forced the clutch in her chest away and shook her head   
to get it out of her  
head, pretending to shake her long blonde hair out of her face.  
  
Joe shrugged. "Oh yeah I forgot," he said simply, his pride coming through   
unscathed.  
  
"Mia," Terry Bogard called to the woman sitting with her boyfriend at   
another table nearby,  
"have you heard from Earth?"  
  
Mia sadly shook her head.  
  
"And what about that kid, Yulie?" Andy Bogard added.  
  
Mia sighed. "He's gone too! I don't know where he is!"  
  
"Don't worry Koji-sama," Taki, the Japanese ninja, said softly, "he is   
strong and will be well."  
  
Mia smiled softly at the black haired, brown haired young woman.  
  
"In the meantime you can think up the scolding and lecture you'll give him   
when you see him  
again," Ken remarked grinning.  
  
Mia turned serious. "Thank you for reminding me," she said.  
  
"Anytime!" Ken turned back to Joe to ask for more details about 'last   
night'.  
  
Ryu, Terry, Andy, Kilik, Siegfried, a large Native American named Rock, two   
other Native  
Americans Tommy Hawk and Nightwolf, Hwang, Kung Lao, Liu Kang, Jax, Jin   
Kazama, Forrest  
Law, Paul Phoenix, Hworang, Lei Wulong, Sekhmet, Cale, and Dais returned to   
their previous  
conversation, fighting. The women also began to discuss their fighting   
skills as well. Eddie  
Gordo and Maxi had turned to listen to Joe.  
  
Kilik rolled his eyes at something Paul was saying that sounded completely   
untrue when he spied  
her. He nudged Siegfried next to him. "Isn't that her?" he whispered.  
  
Siegfried nodded. "It is."  
  
By that time most of the people in the room had seen her.  
  
If JJ felt nervous walking into the mess hall, she didn't show it. She was   
clean, her hair and skin  
shining in the light, and her clothes were changed into one of the three   
outfits she had found in  
her package. The pants she wore were loose and dark blue with a white top   
outlined in jade  
green that was sleeveless and tight with a open violet jacket over it that   
reached her waist and  
was sleeveless. Her long brown hair was pulled into a five long braids, the   
three in back braided  
together, the other two hanging in front of her ears. She wore her pendant   
proudly and carried  
three books, a notebook, a sketch book, a pencil case, and a silk drawstring   
bag in her hands.  
  
They watched her as she sat at a small table by herself and placed the   
things she carried on it.  
  
"I wonder what she's doing?" Kung Lao asked the others as she opened one of   
the three books  
and her notebook and sketch book while taking out a pen and uncapping it.  
  
"It looks like she's doing research," Chun Li said.  
  
JJ was doing research out of the books she found in her package. At that   
moment she was  
turning the pages looking for information on teleportation. She was going   
to find a way off that  
rock, and she was going to find it now!  
  
She didn't even look up when Siegfried sat down at the table with her.   
"Hello," she said turning  
another page her green eyes scanning it for anything useful.  
  
"How are you feeling?" he asked.  
  
"A whole lot better thank you," she said still not looking up at him.  
  
Silence.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked finally.  
  
She looked up meeting his blue-green eyes. "I guess I can tell you seeing   
as how we fight on the  
same side." She pulled her pendant off and set it on the open book. "This   
pendant has special  
powers," she said looking down at it. "What they are I don't know, that's   
what the book here is  
for. But it has something to do with the Queits and whoever is controlling   
them."  
  
"Someone's controlling them?" he asked suddenly very interested.  
  
JJ nodded. "People who can use jewels like we can."  
  
"You and your friends back on Earth?"  
  
JJ nodded. "Right now I'm looking up on how to teleport so I can get off   
this blasted rock and  
get to where I can help them."  
  
"Have you considered telling Mia this?" Siegfried asked.  
  
JJ blinked. "Why?"  
  
"She might allow you to come with us tomorrow to the surface."  
  
"Really?" JJ was hopeful and her eyes lit up with it.  
  
Siegfried nodded. "My name is Siegfried Schtauffen," he introduced.  
  
"Janis 'JJ' Hunter," JJ said reaching down to pick up her pendant. She put   
it on and got to her  
feet. Siegfried got to his.  
  
"I'll introduce you to her," he said.  
  
JJ smiled and nodded. They began walking towards Mia's table when an   
explosion sent them  
both flying off their feet and onto each other.  
  
"What the hell!" Joe yelled as warning lights went off.  
  
"5 Queits are attacking! We have 5 Queits attacking! I repeat 5 Queits!" a   
woman's voice said  
calmly over the PA system.  
  
JJ rolled off of Siegfried and got to her feet. Panic was breaking out   
amongst the non-fighters on  
the base. She had to do something! "Lets show them what we got," she told   
her pendant.  
  
Siegfried grabbed her arm and tried to drag her away from the large window   
at the end of the  
mess hall. "Come on! You have to get to safety!" he ordered.  
  
JJ twisted out of his grip and began walking calmly to the window. "You   
creeps want to mess  
with me!" she yelled at the Queit ships and mecha that were flying around   
outside. She stopped  
and stood still ignoring orders, demands, and threats from the others to get   
out of there. She  
gripped her pendant and concentrated hard on opening her mind's gates to the   
power within her.  
  
'Beginners should open their minds to the power and let it guide you the   
first times you use it.  
Gradually step up to the mastery of the power of your jewel.'  
  
The book said so.  
  
Siegfried, Kilik, and Terry reached out to grab her and pull her back when   
they were blinded by  
sudden purple light.  
  
"What in the world?" Mia breathed she and Anubis stopping to stare at the   
mysterious girl.  
  
JJ's eyes snapped open. "CELESTIAL DRAGON FIRE!" she screamed shoving her   
hands  
upwards. Light radiated from her hands at her targets, the Queit ships and   
mecha, each bolt of  
purple fire striking one and blinding or destroying it. JJ dropped to the   
ground as soon as the  
light disappeared.  
  
"JJ!" Siegfried exclaimed as he rushed to her side. He rolled her over and   
leaned down close to  
her face to see if she was breathing.  
  
She wasn't.  
  
"She's not breathing!" he yelled.  
  
Mia was at his side in an instant feeling for a pulse. She had one, but   
without oxygen it was  
fading fast. She moved JJ's head to open her airway and started artificial   
respiration. The others  
watched on in concern as Mia worked to save the life of the girl who had   
saved theirs.  
  
"The Queits have been destroyed, the attack is over, thanks to the purple   
light and our men," the  
woman said over the PA system.  
  
JJ gasped her eyes snapping open, breathing on her own.  
  
Siegfried swore that her eyes were purple when she opened them. He looked   
again and saw that  
they were their natural dark green color.  
  
"Are you okay?" Mia asked.  
  
JJ was pale and felt incredibly weak. *Okay, opened my mind up to *too* much   
power that  
time!* she thought idly as she weakly shook her head 'yes'. She sighed and   
closed her eyes  
letting sleep claim her.  
  



	15. Part 14

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Fourteen  
  
Cherri was warm, so warm. She felt strong arms holding her close to a nice   
warm body. She  
snuggled closer, her senses filled with his delicious scent.  
  
Suddenly everything was *ice-cold*! She jumped awake with a shriek. Ryo   
jumped also, but he  
didn't shriek, he just yelled at the sudden temperature change. Both of them   
opened they're eyes  
to see a very odd sight.  
~~~~~~~~  
Sano and Cat where squaring off. Both of their buckets were full with cold   
water from the river.  
Cat's two where still both full, Sano had missed her with his first one. Cat   
grinned wildly. Sano  
grinned right back. Both of them threw the water at the other. Both dodged.  
~~~~~~~~  
Ariel woke with a shriek as the water hit her. Sage, who was right beside   
her, also was ripped  
into wakefulness by the cold shower. Aurora and Cye were also hit.  
~~~~~~~~  
Cat was chasing Sano around the camp. He ran into the woods, she was hot on   
his trail. He  
reached the edge of the lake where they had been getting the water. The edge   
was a foot high  
drop off that led into very deep water. He stopped at the very edge, she   
stopped a few paces in  
front of him. She threw the water, the momentum sending her lurching   
forward. He tried to  
dodge and about half of it missed him. He caught her arm and tossed her into   
the lake.  
~~~~~~~~  
The rest of the camp, very angry for being woken up so unceremoniously, were   
right behind Cat.  
They saw her get tossed into the water and all got an idea. Kento charged   
forward and knocked  
Sano into the lake. Sano grabbed onto Kento's arm as he fell, dragging him   
in with him.  
  
Ryo grabbed Cherri's waist and quickly tossed her in too, much to her   
protest. Sage laughed just  
before Ariel pushed him in. Cye then pushed her in but she had caught his   
shirt and he fell in too.  
Ryo was on the shore laughing and didn't even see it coming when Aurora   
charged him from  
behind, sending both of them flying into the lake.  
~~~~~~~~  
Rowen and Kenshin were still at camp. Neither of them had been hit by any   
water and neither of  
them had the desire to go swimming in the lake. So, they had stayed at camp   
making breakfast.  
~~~~~~~~  
Back at the lake, it was total and utter chaos! People were splashing each   
other, dunking each  
other and several of the guys had picked the girls up from underneath and   
tossed them around a  
bit.  
  
At the moment, Cat was on Sano's shoulders and was squaring off against   
Cherri who was on  
Ryo's shoulders. The battle commenced, each trying to knock the other over,   
all in good fun. Cat  
pushed hard on Cherri's shoulders, causing her and Ryo to lose they're   
balance and both went  
tumbling down. Cat sat up straighter and raised her hands in victory, as did   
Sano. At that moment  
Ariel came up behind Sano and tickled his sides causing him to lose his   
footing ant the  
triumphant pair went down.  
  
Then everyone ganged up and Sano and Cat. Everyone was having a blast!  
~~~~~~~~  
About an hour or so later, when people started to go numb from the cold,   
they headed back to the  
campsite. All were sopping wet, cold and had the biggest grins on they're   
faces.  
  
They sat down around the campfire Kenshin had started for the cooking and   
all had a good laugh.  
  
"Hey Cat!" Ariel asked suddenly, her eyes still dancing with fun.  
  
"What started the water-throwing between you and Sano?" she asked when the   
red-head had  
looked at her.  
  
"Well, I had gotten up early, as usual, and Sano also got up pretty close to   
the same time as me. I  
was wide awake but Sano was still half-asleep and complaining about how hard   
it is to wake up.  
So, I grabbed a bucket and decided to help him," Cat said smiling.  
************  
Cherri was at home in the water. Her mom had started going to a local gym   
(with a pool) and  
"working out" so to speak, since she was three. The thought was, if she   
could swim (not like  
professionally) then she wouldn't drown.  
  
Good idea. Specially when Sano and Cat are around.  
  
She had to laugh though. Looked like the lady at the Kohl's store would be   
seeing them again  
this afternoon. Swimming was the easy part... getting out on the other   
hand....  
  
She swore that these clothes did nothing but shrink. Totally... they where   
basically GLUED to  
her skin. She knew it. Cye wasn't caring, he loved the water... and the   
guys didn't seem to mind  
either.  
  
But they... THEY were soaked to the bone. The heat wave of the early   
morning would help,  
but.... jeans were basically suction cupped to their legs and it wasn't   
exactly pleasant.  
  
Ryo looked at his girlfriend-but-not-quite-officially-his-girlfriend try and   
ring water out of  
clothes that were nothing but PLASTERED to her body....  
  
Her slim and beautiful body, he could add.  
  
And although some of the others had girls of their own (which they all   
ogled, trust me) a few  
wayward glances were sent to Cherri... only like two, but Ryo thought that   
it was two to many.  
  
Hauling her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, he started to lead the   
way back to the inn.  
Cherri protesting her ride the entire way.  
~~~~~~~~  
This looked SSOOOO good. Ariel had prepared herself for this. Breakfast -   
pancakes, eggs,  
waffles (which Cherri continued to bodyguard) toast, sausage, bacon...   
everything!  
  
Aurora looked over the meal as well. Cat also looked impressed, though   
Cherri looked like she  
was in heaven -- Chocolate Chip Pancakes, special for her.  
  
For some reason, the guys looked... nervous? Oh, well... paranoia ran deep   
this day in age.  
  
Ariel took a bite out of her omelette... then quickly ran out of the room.  
  
Puzzled looks went around until she came back, holding an egg shell in her   
hand.  
  
Though the situation was COMPLETELY inappropriate for her reaction, Cherri   
started to  
laugh... earning her a glare from Ariel... but soon Cat and Rora joined in.   
It was almost to funny,  
the expression on Ariel's face... eyes bulging when she found out, but even   
funnier the panic and  
the escape of Rowen as he dodged Ariel's wrath.  
************  
Relena slowly opened her eyes. For the first time in two weeks. They   
hurt. She could hear her  
cousins... her friends... Heero... all there. Wow.  
  
But where was she?  
  
Certainly, they were not dead. So, why wasn't she? And what were they   
doing here in the  
middle of a war?  
  
When she tried to move she became aware of her body's protests and that she   
was in a hospital.  
  
"Cos'!" Serena squealed, rushing in for a hug. "Your okay! Man, we were   
worried! But don't  
worry about us, the projects fine... besides the whole communication err.   
Heero and Zechs have  
definitely taken care of things so you just rest!"  
  
Heero glared at the bubbly blonde. He *knew* there had to be more than one   
of them...and  
undoubtedly, Mina rushed in quickly followed by other scouts, Hilde,   
Dorothy, and probably half  
of the World Nation.  
  
He was NEVER going to get his turn.  
  
"I'm gonna kill someone...." he muttered.  
~~~~~~~~  
Dorothy strolled out, Trowa on her right, Quatre on her left, as they made   
there way down to the  
hanger.  
  
Some how, they had ended up... together... on missions, when hanging out...   
it was kind of  
creepy.  
  
Hilde and Duo usually went together, same for Zechs and Noin. WuFei and   
Heero did their own  
thing. Leaving them. Sure, Dorothy originally planned to go it alone...   
but why fight the help  
that volunteered. They could leave at any time. But they didn't.  
  
So she linked arms with her comrades, Trowa giving the 'oh no, she's hyper   
again' look and  
Quatre gave his smile to show his amusement that a) Dorothy was expressing   
herself again and  
b) she had gotten Trowa riled up yet again.  
  
Well, he thought it was funny.  
  
Until she started dragging them towards the gym prattling about fencing   
foils.  
  
Quatre did a double take.  
  
To add insult to injury, Trowa out-in-out laughed.  
~~~~~~~~  
Ami crawled under the mech again. This Bulma was truly inventive. And   
Washu! She had  
merged the trees of Jurai and the DNA of Ryo-ohki into a few battle   
cruisers, currently protecting  
the abandoned colonies.  
  
The outers had left in search of the missing Setsuna. The Stars had shown   
up as well, THEIR  
princess in tow, and the Amazon Quartet came as well, to protect Rini,   
*their* princess.  
  
*There are just to many princesses around here,* she thought, making another   
adjustment.  
~~~~~~~~  
Yulie was pleased with himself. He had made it back to Earth. Now to HQ.   
If he could make it  
without someone calling Mia....  
  
"Young man?" a green hair woman asked.  
  
Yulie stiffly turned around.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm trying to find Relena Peacecraft and her organization."  
  
"Ah, the Preventers." Trista nodded. "Good, come with me. I'm looking for   
her as well."  
~~~~~~~~  
Ryoko blasted another one, as did Kiyone and Ayeka, simultaneously.  
  
"WASHU! Work harder! They're blocking the transmissions! And they are   
getting stronger!"  
the pirate yelled.  
  
"I'm trying. Jeeze. There mechanism is down to the sub atomic level! Just   
buy me some more  
time."  
~~~~~~~~  
"There... there... and THERE!" Hitomi cried pointed cloaked Queits out to   
Allen and Van.  
  
Looking below, Sakura and Li had blasted and contained many of them,   
awaiting the guymelifs  
to destroy them.  
  
And just when she thought they could make out alive... she saw another   
vision....  
~~~~~~~~  
Relena slowly hobbled along... she had some contact from Trista today, and   
Pluto had found a  
boy along her route. Also, she had some 'good news and bad news' so to   
speak.  
  
Relena was already beginning to despise bad news.  
~~~~~~~~  
Hitomi stared. It... that... them.... Her. She.... Looking at her   
'boyfriend' Van, she tried to put  
together a full sentence... key word being *tried*,  
  
"Van... it's... them... vision... telepath... in... crystal...."  
  
Van just looked at her.  
  
"Hitomi?"  
  
"I... I felt some people... from my vision come by. I think they were   
going... that a way. I think  
we should follow.  
  
Allen agreed.  
  
Escaflowne was soon hidden with the other Guymelifs and the troop set out on   
foot. Not quite  
sure where Hitomi and her pendant would take them next.  
  



	16. Part 15

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Fifteen  
  
"You can put me down now...."  
  
"I'm serious...."  
  
"Really Ryo, I'd appreciate it...."  
  
"I'll start screaming bloody murder...."  
  
"Ryo!! Put. Me. DOWN!!!"  
  
Aurora laughed at her best friend. Cherri was trying everything under the   
sun to be able to walk.  
They had started out -- clean and fresh for an afternoon hike. Cherri had   
stolen one of his shirts  
and was carrying a book bag (while normal size for her) that Ryo decided was   
to big for her.  
Punishment? That he carried her -- specially after the protest she put up   
earlier. She begged.  
Pleaded. Threatened. And of course her semi-boyfriend continued to refuse.  
  
Cat had seemed to be taking it slower now, walking back with Kenshin and   
Sano, making side  
conversation with Rowen every now and again.  
  
Kento had good naturedly struck up a conversation in between the little Cye,   
Ariel, Sage, and  
Rora group while carrying on with Ryo at the same time. And laughing at   
Cherri's predicament,  
of course.  
  
Though, behind the masquerade, everyone was a bit on edge... it was   
strange....  
~~~~~~~~  
Dia and Zirca sat in their quarters. Dia with her white hair and lavender   
eyes looked to be a fairy  
herself, like she could sprout wings and fly away. Zirca, whose grey-green   
eyes and slightly  
sliver hair was reminiscent of a water sprite... a winter sprite with the   
look of winter running  
through each of the twins.  
  
They sat, waiting, the Sikwe sisters did, waiting for orders from Morkela,   
ruler of the Nine or  
Kwena, his second. There where four girls on the Nine - Onxy Kwena, Dia   
Sikwe, Zirca Sikwe,  
and another. She was usually called Pera, from her stone the Peridot, she   
had never taken an  
assumed name herself.  
  
Alrite Morkela, Aquine Gontik, Torum Hyceni, Quo Wolkd, and Tapoz Frinq made   
up the men  
of the council, each wanting one of the girls who had crossed the   
dimensional path line... just as  
they had wanted the originals over a thousand years before.  
  
Dia had saved the one once known as Sapphirine. But since the nine was   
shrouded, they had  
picked both to be placed in the prison, to learn about there race's history   
and culture.  
  
Scarily enough, the gems now working against them were once part of the same   
collective, a  
group of highly skilled people ranging from artisans to royalty, warriors to   
merchants, serfs to  
judges. Twenty one.  
  
It was a very complex group, and even the 21 had others, serving below to   
help run things. Other  
jewels, not of the 21 or of there origins had power - the silver crystal of   
the Moon Kingdom of  
Lunaria, the mystic stone of Gaea, a Jewel of Life, and a sphere of power   
that was used in staffs...  
all these worked similarly, though not from the same grounds or principles.  
  
Sapphirine had been in the five, the five gems they so desperately needed,   
and she had probably  
caused the break up. Her and her 5. They had a council of nine, them and   
four others. When  
Sapphirine had chosen Hariel for her king - instead of whom the nine had   
chosen, the council  
was split.  
  
The five left, and the other four disappeared. Leaving the others, the more   
power hungry to fade  
out as well. But they, they weren't going with out a fight.  
  
The traveled, out of persecution, to find several planets out beyond the   
rim of what had been  
known. They found races... races that changed them, and they were easy to   
change... to corrupt.  
The Queits (and their allies)... with their advanced technology believed   
that destruction was the  
only way to make another, younger race grow and develop.  
  
All they had need of was the tools. People to set it in motion. The others   
came along and  
together they took revenge for Sapphirine's crime... out on the entire   
universe... until there was no  
more. Realizing that she had jumped and that poor Hariel was dead as well,   
the leader -  
Morkela- went dimension hopping, to find the woman who had wronged him and   
to flaunt his  
proverbial muscles.  
  
Zirca mentioned something about how stupid this was, and how stupid Dia was.  
  
Dia smacked her sister.  
~~~~~~~~  
Serena quickly blasted them, her wand talking down three at a time. The   
other scouts where  
making progress as well, but since Hilde and Duo had to go off to Mars to   
protect against an up  
coming Queit attack, they were dwindling on back up.  
  
"You women are all to weak. I have to fight for those weaker than I am,"   
WuFei Chang said,  
Shenlong coming up to cover.  
  
Sailor Jupiter smiled at him, then at the plane Sally was in. It was good   
to have a little more  
cover, even if it came in shifts.  
  
The only problem was, how long until this unit falls? And how long did they   
have in between.  
Sere didn't have TIME to get out her crystal, though little did she know   
that it could help.  
  
And they merrily fought on.  
~~~~~~~~  
*Hey.*  
  
Ryo could hear.  
  
*Cherri?* he replied... not sure if she was thinking or speaking.  
She kept on trying new things and some of it scared him... some of it scared   
her... but some of it  
was kind of cool.  
  
He could hear her laugh out loud. He grinned, only a moment before she   
started whispering to  
him mentally once again, a link he didn't knew they had.  
  
*Read this,* she thought, showing him what she saw in front of her... it was   
another one of her  
messy scripts - poem or play, he couldn't tell. Not even using her OWN ways   
of deducing her  
handwriting.  
  
*I am... the cheese?* he guessed.  
  
*No!!! Stop being stupid. I'm worried about J. She's... something's   
wrong. She's going to come  
home and there is going to be an accident, but I don't know when or how but   
it will be soon.*  
  
"Cher," he said, walking the ten feet over to her and talking normally,   
"we'll find her. Don't  
worry. Everything will be fine."  
  
*I hope....* he added silently, not allowing Cherri to perceive it.  
********  
The group reached a fork in the hiking path.  
  
"Which way?" asked Cat. Aurora shrugged her shoulders, as did mostly   
everyone else.  
  
"One goes up to the mountains, the other to the plains below," Sage said   
quietly.  
  
"I say we go mountains. It'll be a lot more fun that way!" Ariel added in.  
  
Cat grinned. "I agree," she said.  
  
"But I'm tired, and hungry," Kento complained. He sat on a nearby rock.  
  
"I am too, and Cherri here is in no condition for such a hike," added Ryo.  
  
Cherri gave him 'the Look'. "I'm fine, now PUT ME DOWN!" she screamed. He   
put her down,  
but still kept a tight hold on her hand. The rest of the guys sat as well,   
so the only ones standing  
happened to be the four girls.  
  
"Are you all tired and hungry?!" asked Cat angrily. They nodded. She   
groaned, then started  
heading up the mountain path, mumbling about how all guys were wimps. Ariel   
followed her,  
then Cherri and Aurora followed them. They walked on for a long time,   
uphill, and finally  
stopped at the summit of one of the smaller mountains.  
  
"Wow!" whispered Aurora quietly.  
  
The view was beautiful. An endless sea of grasses spread out before them,   
rising to meet the  
horizon that was streaked gold and red and violet from the sun that had   
already set behind their  
sites.  
  
"See? I told you this path would be a lot more fun than the one going to   
the plains," Ariel said,  
grinning.  
  
They began to head back down, and it was nearly completely dark before they   
finally reached the  
fork.  
  
The guys were still sitting where the girls had left them, with Ryo looking   
none too happy that  
Cherri didn't take him with her and wouldn't let him come. The guys stood.  
  
"Are you guys okay?" Sano asked, looking at Cat specifically but talking to   
all of us.  
  
"Of course!" she replied, glaring at him.  
  
Ariel started cracking up.  
  
"Lets go back and get some food, I'm starving." says Kento. His statement   
was punctuated with  
the loud sound of his stomach growling.  
  
"Okay, but I get to make dinner," Ariel said, glaring at Rowen, who turned   
red and stared at the  
ground. Everyone cracked up, and they headed back to the inn. They reached   
it just as the last  
stars were coming out.  
  
Ariel turned around right before she walked through the door, looking into   
the night, feeling that  
something is going to go very very wrong. *Please be okay JJ, and come back   
soon,* she thought  
as she headed to the kitchen. She then grinned. *And for the bad guys,   
bring it on.*  
~~~~~~~~  
The group had returned to the inn, eaten and gone to bed.  
  
Since the Queits were no longer around, they'd changed the sleeping   
arrangements slightly. All  
the guys were sleeping in one room and the girls in the other. No big   
changes.  
  
In the guys room, just about everyone was sleeping soundly with the   
occasional snore.  
  
Sano had been asleep but a disturbing dream had woken him up.  
  
The ex-gangster was sitting in the bay window looking out at the sky,   
contemplating the dream.  
  
It had been really weird. He'd been a rooster and this giant broom had been   
trying to crush him....  
It was very disturbing....  
~~~~~~~~  
In the girls room, Cherri and Cat were still awake. Cherri was flipping   
through her "spell book"  
as she'd dubbed it while Cat was sitting in the window looking outside.  
  
The only sound in the room was the turning of pages. Cat glanced over at   
Cherri who seemed  
completely enthralled with the book that explained her stone and it's power.  
  
Curiosity suddenly getting the better of her, she left her perch to sit   
beside the older girl and  
looked at the book over Cherri's shoulder.  
  
"What's it about?" Cat asked, gazing at the page.  
  
"My ring...." Cherri whispered as she continued to read.  
  
"What's it say?" Cat asked.  
  
"It's talking about what powers the stone in it gives the user and how to   
accept the power and  
about the person who created this ring, Sapphirine," Cherri responded.  
  
"Oh...." Cat said nodding. Curiosity quenched, she returned to her spot in   
the window.  
  
She gazed at the star for a few minutes before reaching below her seat and   
grabbing her bag. She  
opened it and grabbed the book within it.  
  
She looked at it for a few moments. It was an old book. The cover was hard   
and covered in dark  
brown leather. The side was also bound in dark brown leather. On the cover,   
in green ink, the  
words "Crystal Magician" were scrawled in large curvy calligraphy.   
Underneath the title, the  
words "Volume 3 - Emerald" were written in smaller and less fancy print.  
  
She opened it. On the very first page, there was a picture of an incredible   
griffin, standing  
regally. She recognized it. It was the same image that was engraved on the   
emerald hanging from  
her charm bracelet.  
  
She looked at the charm. It glinted in the faint candlelight of the room. It   
looked like a harmless  
charm. She fingered the stone, it felt dead and cold, just as a stone   
should.  
  
She looked back at the book and turned the page. On this one, there was a   
woman and a man  
posing together....  
  
*It's them....* she thought. The picture was of the man and woman that   
haunted her dream. She  
looked at the names at the bottom of the picture. The woman was named Emara   
Catsi and the  
man was Abelard MacLaren.  
  
*MacLaren?... but, that's my last name....* the reader thought.  
  
Perplexed she turned the page. It was words this time. There was a small   
picture of Emara in the  
corner and beside it was her birth date and death date. Underneath was her   
entire biography.  
  
Cat bean to read.  
  
i Emara Catsi.  
  
Born March 5th 1463 Dead April 8th 1488, age 25.  
  
Emara was born in the village of Carlistan, in Northern Europe. Her mother   
died in child birth  
and her father died of an unknown illness when she was two.  
  
She was raised by the village magic user, Domela Arcanste, and was taught   
the woman's skills.  
  
Emara was particularly fond of magic coming from the realm of "Earth".  
  
She met Sapphirine (view Volume One) and Amethy (view Volume Two) when she   
was twelve.  
She then left Domela and the village and began to travel with her two new   
friends. The three of  
them were all magic users and in every village they went to, they left with   
another magic user in  
tow.  
  
By the time she was sixteen, the small group of novice magic users had grown   
into a group of  
twenty-one of the most powerful magic users in that world.  
  
The group created what is now known to be the most powerful magical items in   
the known  
world, the Summon Crystals.  
  
Each member had a certain crystal in which they had concentrated all they're   
power. Emara's was  
the Emerald.  
  
Each member also had the power to summon attacks branching from a certain   
element, Emara's  
was Earth and used nature attacks.  
  
The concentrated power in the crystal was guarded by a certain creature,   
they were known as the  
Guardian Beasts. The type of Beast was determined by the amount of power   
that the crystal  
possessed. A very powerful crystal was protected by a very powerful and rare   
mythical beast as  
opposed to one of the weaker stones which were protected by weaker and more   
common  
creatures. The guardian beast was then carved into the stone to show how   
powerful that stone  
was. Emara's emerald was ranked third strongest and was protected by the   
legendary Griffin.  
  
In 1481, when Emara was 18, the ancient race known as the Quietusans, also   
know as Queits,  
attacked for the first time, seemingly out of the blue.  
  
The crystal bearers, now known as the Crystal Magicians, used they're power   
to stop the attack  
but the war was far from over. Many of the crystal Magicians had changed   
sides during the wars  
and were now significant aides to the Queits. Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of   
Time, had been sent  
into another dimension to get help. She'd returned with five young men who   
became important  
soldiers in the war.  
  
The five strongest Crystal Magicians, Sapphirine, Amethy, Emara, Rubia, and   
Amber, teamed up  
with the warriors.  
  
Abelard MacLaren was one of the warriors. He and Emara became very close   
though the details  
to they're relationship remain a mystery to this day.  
  
Near the end of the first war against the Queits, in 1487, Emara was   
captured by Aquine Gontik,  
creator of the aquamarine summoning stone and 7th most powerful Crystal   
Magician, who had  
turned to the side of the Queits.  
  
No one knows what happened to Emara while she was a prisoner, all we know is   
that the first  
time she was seen after her capture, she was fighting for the Queits.  
  
She ended up killing Abelard in a battle in February 1488 and after that   
battle she was never seen  
again.  
  
Her body was found beheaded on the outskirts of Carlistan in April 1488.   
/i  
  
Cat looked up from the book then. She slowly closed it and put it down at   
her feet. She then  
looked at her charm. What had once seemed like an ordinary charm now seemed   
incredibly  
powerful and dangerous. She ran her fingers over it, slowly massaging it   
with her hands. It had  
seemed cold and dead before but now it felt warm and seemed to pulse with   
life. It scared her a  
little....  
  
She looked around the room, Cherri had gone to sleep while Cat had been   
reading. Ariel and  
Aurora had been sleeping before she'd even started so there was no change   
there. Cat was wide  
awake, she doubted she'd sleep at all that night.  
  
She looked out the window. So now she knew what her dream was. It was a   
flash back, if not a  
memory, of a time long before her. There was obviously some kind of a blood   
connection  
between Abelard, Emara and herself. It was the memory of Emara's last   
moments, a vision, a  
glimpse of the past. But what was the other part? Was it a vision of the   
future? Was it telling her  
that one day history would repeat itself and she would kill also join the   
other side and kill  
someone she cared for? But why was the person Sano? How was he connected   
into all of this?  
  
Or what if the dream wasn't a vision but some kind of warning? Telling her   
not to get close to  
Sano perhaps... no, not likely. Was it a warning that history was going to   
repeat itself?  
  
Or maybe... maybe it was a mournful plea, begging her not to repeat past   
mistakes....  
  
Whatever it was, it made a little more sense now.  
  
She looked at the book... no she wouldn't read anymore tonight. She turned   
her head and looked  
out the window, once again lost in thought.  
~~~~~~~~  
Back in the boys room, Sano had gone back to bed. He was now asleep and   
dreaming again. But  
this dream was no less disturbing than the last one. In this one, he was   
once again a rooster but  
instead of being chased by a broom, he was running away from a giant fox....  
  
"Go 'way... lemme 'lone Megumi...." Sano mumbled in his sleep.  
  



	17. Part 16

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Sixteen  
  
***Begin Dream***  
"We can't pull up!" a male voice yelled  
  
"Come on, come on, Amethy! Why won't it work!" JJ sat, strapped in and   
shouting at her  
pendant.  
  
A couple sat in the corner with their four other friends... the plane with   
thirty some people  
seemed to hold it's breath....  
  
The shuttle crashed, burning and taking out some large Leo's along the way.   
It skidded, the metal  
twisting and shrapnel flying. Inside the couple and co had been taken from   
there normal,  
comfortable space to being compacted into an area less than one square foot.  
  
The man was sprawled out on the ground, fifty foot away from his original   
seat in the cockpit, his  
instruments in bits and pieces all around.  
  
JJ had miraculously stayed strapped in, but the harness had severed through   
the tender flesh of  
her shoulders and thighs, each femur and scapula broken. Her seat was   
forward, her pendent  
shattered and cold, and a sharp piece of metal protruding threw her small   
frame, coming to a  
point that had sliced the seat in front of her.  
  
The Queits came... incinerating the remains... Kwena took the gem... JJ was   
spared that fate only  
to be immortalize in transparent onyx as an example to the rebellion.  
***End Dream***  
Cherri awoke with a start. God, when would that stop coming to mind? Her   
stomach had turned,  
she could smell blood and see her friend laying, dead.  
  
Her clothes... er... her jeans and Ryo's shirt clung to her lean and tall   
form. The sweat had  
seemed to drench her being. She hated this. It was coming. Looking down   
she saw her five  
books. Yes, she was (as ever) the book worm... the saying from early on -   
the Human  
Dictionary- still rang true....  
  
First, there was her small navy journal. She had caught up on her   
adventures this afternoon, she  
wanted a record to be kept, after all. Sapphirine didn't have the chance,   
and if it happened again  
-- like it probably would if it didn't work exactly right -- she wanted HER   
great granddaughter to  
have a guide... or least knowing that she understood.  
  
Second was the deep brown book she had found in the cave... it was twice as   
thick as her journal  
- nearly five inches -- and had many tales of the Crystalline girls... the   
wizards there ancestors  
where and the origins of all powerful jewels of this realm.  
  
Third was a calm blue book with silver script on the front - Sapphirine~   
Princess, Wizard, and  
Lover... the Crystalline Wizards... Volume 1. Obviously, Saff's own   
handwriting. It  
concentrated on her life and her gem.  
  
Fourth, a black book of incarnations, ones that Saff obviously knew but   
rarely used or wasn't  
supposed to based on the blue book. This one also told of her psi powers...   
it many other weird  
things too....  
  
Fifth was the red book in Cherri's backpack, and was a journal/novel of   
Hariel, her husband and  
king. Cherri, however, stuffed all of them in, grabbed some clean clothing   
from her Kohl's bag  
and went to a room further down to shower up... so she wouldn't wake any   
one.  
~~~~~~~~  
*Why didn't anyone tell me earlier! We found them, but we lost them! God,   
I'm surrounded by  
imbeciles! And Heero who won't let me walk, the now infamous trio of Trowa,   
Dorothy, and  
Quatre who left for God know's where, Ayeka is captured by villains trying   
to get the most out of  
the situation, Washu, Bulma, and Ami... all unable to break this   
intermolecular seal on our  
communications, my cousins out and scattered to find these people without   
my consent, the  
Ronins and Mia - where abouts unknown, Milliardo's off to Mars, Yulie gave   
info and left, and  
they all leave ME here where I can't do anything!* Relena mentally fumed.  
  
WuFei looked in and walked on by. God knew HE wasn't going to tell her that   
Heero had taken  
off as well. Maybe it was injustice to that weak onna but they called him   
CRAZY Chang, not  
stupid.  
~~~~~~~~  
"Kagato... where did you take her? Is this about Nagi again? Yumi? Who!   
Who are you  
working with! Ayeka is a friend and we ALL need her power on Jurai to get   
the ships to defeat  
them!"  
  
"Ryoko. Ryoko. Ryoko. My associates choose to remain anonyms. But I will   
tel you they are  
rather quietus, don't you think?"  
  
"No... God... no...."  
~~~~~~~~  
Pera looked at Dai and Zirca, the twins. Morkela had come in and should   
them whose boss. It  
was kind of funny... in a pathetic kind of way.  
  
But she felt some sort of guilt, she guessed.  
  
However, guessing was irrelevant, and she walked on by the two broken and   
bloody girls.  
Tomorrow was another day... maybe then she would have her chance.  
~~~~~~~~  
Cherri came out, clean, but still haunted. Her baggy sleep wear (which she   
had forgotten about  
that evening) consisted of loose plaid pajama pants and an over sized grey   
T-shirt. Her wet hair  
was pulled back in a sloppy bun.  
  
She stopped on the edge of the room, adjusting her mp3 player's head phones,   
though the device  
was silent now, the music had helped, and now she could listen to it when   
she got to the room  
she was sleeping in.  
  
Silently, her sock clad feet patted down the hall, careful not to wake   
anyone. However, someone  
else noticed. Rather, two someone elses.  
  
"You should be asleep princess."  
  
It was him....  
  
"Morkela," her breath whispered on her exhale, her body freezing. The inn   
was similar to Mia  
Koji's home - fairly wide halls and plenty of decorations... including some   
swords.... Cherri  
wasn't a skilled fighter but she had wrestled with her brothers and father,   
and knew she could  
protect herself if she had the element of surprise.  
  
She pulled out the head phones and her music maker was placed in her right   
hand... but she  
continued to her room, placing it just inside her doorway....  
  
"Aren't you going to acknowledge me?"  
  
"Why would I do that?" she asked, edging closer to a datchi on the wall.  
  
"Because, you belong to me," he replied, slightly sincere. "My offer still   
stands... you are my  
goddess, just," he walked closer to her... but she wasn't close enough to   
the scabbard yet, "come  
with me, my lady... Sapphirine... you look like her Cheron... a little   
Saff... Cherri, you could be a  
queen, royalty even!"  
  
"She used to love you, you know," Cherri said, almost in range, "but you   
became so changed that  
she wanted space. When she found her Soulmate... Hariel," she clarified for   
him. "She finally  
got the courage to leave you, even leaving her place at the head of the   
twenty one."  
  
Her hand crawled up the wall slowly, knowing that he could harm her for her   
back was still to  
him, as it had been for this entire conversation. "But we are different.   
She could have forgiven  
you.... I could of even... but were as she would pardon her capture..." her   
hand grabbed the  
handle, and she sharply turn around drawing it from the scabbard, "I will   
not!" and she charged.  
  
The bearer of Alexandrite drew his own sword, blocking hers just in time.   
Cherri wasn't to be  
defeated so easily - she was on her own high, probably the most   
concentration she had had since  
her capture... every thing was in focus now.  
  
She knew what he had done, to Sapphirine, to his own family... her hatred   
was more than she  
could bear. She wasn't sure how to fight, but she knew she had to win....   
Her mind recalled  
gymnastic pattern from working with Rora, simple fighting techniques of   
kicks and punches that  
JJ had taught them when a strand of date rapes went down a few months ago...   
Her own logical  
thinking, movie moves that Ariel and herself had analyzed.... Speed tips   
from cat and her own  
powers from the books....  
  
She could run, but morally, she couldn't allow herself.  
  
Hand to hand combat wouldn't help in this situation, and her own agility   
probably wouldn't  
help... though the splits (which she could do... for a REALLY long time....)   
might come in handy.  
And she couldn't do most of those moves without stunt men.  
  
All this past in less than .01 seconds. But she *knew* from somewhere.  
  
She turned, pivoted, hacked, slashed, clangs and ricochets bouncing   
everywhere. They made  
their way down the rest of the hall, her hair down and fairly dried now, as   
she went in for a move.  
  
Ryo watched her, instinctively sending her what she need to know, almost   
like directing her in  
her fight. He had both of his datchi in hand proving him ready for the   
fight, though his white  
undershirt and dark pj pants proved other wise.  
  
Then he noticed, she was trying too hard to let her growing telepathic   
powers to work, and her  
ring had been left in her room. Aurora looked at him from across the hall.   
Holding up the ring,  
she tossed it, and he caught it, effortlessly.  
  
Cat and Ariel came up behind her - Ariel in a nightgown, Cat in fancy satin   
pajamas and Aurora  
in an oversize T-shirt, all holding there own jewels.  
  
Looking over his shoulder, he could see the guys get up -- well Sage, Cye,   
and Kenshin anyways.  
Looking at the girls, he tried to send a 'wait a bit' signal as he started   
communicating to Cherri in  
words instead of physical impulses.  
  
*I've got your ring. I'm three feet away. Man, I can't always help you   
like this. Tomorrow, after  
we leave, and find a new spot, we work on sword training. Kay, I've got you   
almost to throwing  
distance. Now switch hands on the blade... and... catch!*  
  
Cherri turned in time to grab the ring. Quickly, she did a roundhouse kick,   
knocking Morkela  
back - not down like she intended, while she moved her small, and rather   
worn out sword back to  
her right hand, while sliding the familiar stone over her left hand ring   
finger.  
  
Comforted by it's return, she quickly let it blaze a hot blue light, pouring   
the heat of it into his  
face - using her mind to increase the chemical effects of the stone on his   
body. Briefly, her body  
glowed a soft blue light, but it stopped before anyone but Ryo could notice   
or even determine the  
color or it's original existence.  
  
Cherri wobbled a bit as Morkela teleported out. Her body swayed, realizing   
that he had gotten  
quite a few good blows in before her ring was returned. Oh yeah. She'd   
feel this tomorrow...  
err... this morning.  
  
Tiredly, and semi-sweaty yet again, her body sank into sleep as did her body   
to the floor, though  
not before Ryo caught her or others shared a common, knowing look.  
  
Cherri just turned over, though, as Ryo carried her over to tuck her in.  
  



	18. Part 17

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Seventeen  
  
Cherri had been carried into the boys' room because it was closest and had   
been stretched out on  
one of the beds in there. Sage had healed her wounds and now everyone was   
just waiting for her  
to wake up.  
  
Ryo was sitting beside Cherri with her head in his lap. Sage was sitting   
close to them, resting to  
regain his lost strength. Kento, Cye and Rowen were all also sitting around   
the girl. Aurora was  
sitting beside Ryo and was holding Cherri's hand. Ariel was sitting beside   
Sage and gazing  
thoughtfully at Cherri. Kenshin was standing near the door, sword knocked   
and ready to be  
drawn in case the enemy returned. Sano was sitting in the window seat   
cracking his knuckles and  
looking out the window for any sign of the enemy and Cat was pacing the side   
of the room that  
wasn't occupied by Cherri attempting to release her frustration with the   
situation as well as the  
battle.  
  
She kept looking over the faces of her companions, all of them were   
perfectly still and quiet, all  
of them were lost in thought. Cat was incredibly riled, she wanted to go   
find that jerk that had  
attacked Cherri AND his minion and beat the hell out of the both of them!  
  
*I didn't do anything, I just stood there frozen. I could have helped, there   
were two against her  
having someone on her side would have been perfectly fine! Had she had help   
she wouldn't have  
gotten hurt so bad!* her mind reeled.  
  
The frustrations of the morning finally getting the better of her, she   
landed a hard punch into the  
inn's support beam going up the corner of the room.  
  
There was a loud crack and everyone looked up startled.  
  
Cat was glaring daggers at the wood, her fist imbedded in the beam. She   
closed her eyes, took a  
deep breath, removed her hand and turned to leave the room. Kenshin blocked   
her path.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked in his battosai voice.  
  
"To get some fresh air and cool off a bit." Her voice was perfectly calm.   
The only things that  
betrayed any kind of emotion were the flames in her eyes and the fact that   
she was speaking with  
a heavy Scottish brogue.  
  
Cat usually spoke without the barest hint of her accent but now it was very,   
very prominent.  
  
Kenshin looked at her for a moment before getting out of her way and letting   
her go.  
************  
"Yes, Yes, YES!! Whose the greatest scientist of all time? Who da girl,   
Who da girl?" Washu  
did her little victory moves, her cihi selves popping up.  
  
"What is it? Washuu?" Relena asked. "I mean, Little Washu."  
  
"Well, I've got basic coms back on-line! So we can use basic radio signals   
for transmission right  
now... the rest will take time but if they using similar techniques, we may   
have it up in less than a  
week... two weeks at maximum."  
  
"Good job girls. Now, I'm off to find some missing pilots," Relena said,   
using her crutches to  
move out of the room. *Especially my missing boyfriend.*  
~~~~~~~~  
Dorothy did one more fly by in her white and violet Gundam - which she had   
nicknamed -Vi, for  
its true name as Violeta, depicted a creature both of frailty and violence.   
And seeing as all the  
new mechs - hers, Hilde's, Darien's, plus countless others, had names that   
depicted the character  
of the pilot, yet also revealed the rank, squad, and mission type - if you   
knew what to look for.  
  
Sandrock almost seemed to nod at her, followed by Heavy arms. She started   
to speak again...  
damn... no communications was really starting to bug her.  
  
At least Pheobos and Demos were fine for now. On to Mars! Her long hair   
was plated in a braid  
all the way down, her flight suit a female replica of the Gundam pilots, a   
violet stripe instead of a  
red like Trowa's or a white like Quatre.  
  
She cranked up some mush she had stored... Destiny's Child.  
  
"Dorothy! Turn the music down!" Quatre yelled, not angrily.  
  
She immediately turned it down, asking, "You can hear it?!?"  
  
"I think we have voice coms back." Trowa stated the obvious.  
  
Quatre spoke up, "Now, to report in before Rele loses her mind."  
  
"Where's the fun in that? Vi's going to base to get transfer codes."  
  
"Good luck Dorothy," the boys called after her.  
  
"What luck? I'm using PURE 100% skills."  
  
Again, Trowa cracked a grin, and Quatre just shook his head.  
~~~~~~~~  
Her eyes, they were blue... so blue. Ryo glanced at his   
girlfriend-not-quite-girlfriend. She  
looked so unconcerned, her eyes changing or the link growing... what the   
hell was going on?!?  
  
Ryo paced around the room at four in the morning. Cat had left, the others   
settling down to grab  
some amount of sleep before they moved.  
  
This was too strange. This was a dream... but Cherri was real.... When did   
things get so  
complicated?  
~~~~~~~~  
Planes, tension, landing procedures, cut.....  
Metal, carnage, blood, JJ, Kwena, crystal....  
Death, turning, Ryo, shattered, Commander....  
  
Again, she awoke, but she stayed frighteningly still. She had to change   
it... she had to... and  
someone new had arrived here. She could remember her vision - before the   
nightmares occurred.  
  
"Cher, JJ's dead. D-E-A-D. Dead. Hotaru say's she's gone. Hell, we lucky   
that we stopped  
Kwena, but it's only a matter of time...."  
  
She refused to believe it then, she wouldn't believe it now. Not if she   
could make it change.  
************  
"I say we should all try to go back to sleep," Ryo said quietly. The boys   
nodded. Cherri closed  
her eyes, and was soon asleep, exhausted. Aurora decided to sleep by her   
side, and Ryo laid  
down as well.  
  
Sage turned to Ariel. "Come on Ariel, lets get some sleep," he whispered.  
  
She shook her head. "You can go on ahead. I don't think I'll be sleeping   
the rest of the night," she  
said as she got to her feet. She went back to the girls' room, changed into   
her tank top and jeans,  
then headed out.  
  
She didn't hear Cat anywhere close by, so she assumed she went back inside.   
It was still night  
out, and crystal clear. Ariel walk for about ten minutes, and came across a   
large rock. She  
climbed to the top and sat, just thinking. After a while, she dozed off.  
***Begin Dream***  
Ariel was surrounded by a ring of light, but outside the light there was   
nothing but eternal  
darkness. She was wearing the red dress from earlier, but without all the   
jewelry except her  
necklace. *Dang it, I'm in this thing again!* she thought to herself.   
"Hello! Is anyone there?"  
she called out, beginning to feel a little lonely.  
  
"I'm right here darling," a deep voice said quietly from behind her. She   
whirled around, ready to  
fight. Ariel saw a man walk out of the darkness and into the light,   
illuminating everything except  
from his mouth up.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, still ready to fight.  
  
"I haven't seen you for so long. You look wonderful, just like your great   
grandmother did so long  
ago. I miss her, but you are her in a sense, so I am in love with you," he   
said, taking a few steps  
closer.  
  
Ariel looked at him as if he were insane. "You didn't answer my question,"   
she said. But she let  
her guard down a little. His voice sounded familiar, and brought up happy   
thoughts and faded  
images into her mind. She couldn't make out any of them, for they lasted no   
longer than a  
second.  
  
He stepped closer, and held out his hand. Almost like an involuntary action   
Ariel took it. He  
pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"I have missed you Rubia. I have missed you so much," he said, in a voice   
filled with pain and  
sorrow.  
  
"My name is Ariel, not Rubia," she said, disconcerted about the entire   
situation. *I just met this  
guy, yet I feel like I've known him for years.* His arms made her feel safe   
and warm, and she laid  
her head on his shoulder. He held her tighter.  
  
"You must remember me, otherwise I'd be dead by now," he said jokingly.   
Suddenly, he pulled  
away a little bit. "I must go now. I knew my time was short, but I just   
had to see you again my  
love. When you wake up, remember this dream, and this," he said quietly.   
He touched her cheek  
and brushed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He backed away, then turned   
around.  
  
"Wait! Who are you?" Ariel asked.  
  
"I am the one who has loved you forever, and always will," he said as he   
faded into darkness.  
***End Dream***  
************  
Heero was methodically combing his way through the country side in search of   
the girls. He'd  
gotten the details from Sailor Pluto before he'd left as well as a physical   
description of the five of  
them. He was also in search of the Ronins and of Sanosuke and Kenshin. Kaoru   
and Yahiko had  
returned to the base a little while ago and had filled them in on the   
details of the girl they'd met  
and that the two men had stayed with her while they had been sent back to   
camp. It was obvious  
that the two were both very bitter about this.  
  
He was flying in Wing Zero Custom. Constantly checking the censors for any   
sign of life.  
Suddenly, he picked up an inn with smoke coming from the chimney. It was as   
good a place as  
any to start the search.  
  
He landed the Gundam near the mountain pass and covered it with a camouflage   
net. He then set  
out on his quest in search of the missing Crystal Magicians and warriors.  
~~~~~~~~  
Cat was taking her frustrations out on an old oak tree near the inn. Her   
knuckles, shins and feet  
were all covered by small scrapes and cuts from making harsh contact with   
the ruff bark of the  
tree.  
~~~~~~~~  
Cherri was starting to stir. Her eyes opened and she looked up to see Ryo's   
concerned gaze  
looking back at her.  
  
She smiled her smile back.  
~~~~~~~~  
Cherri opened her eyes and looked up into his. Ryo could swear that when she   
opened them, they  
were sapphire blue for an instant before fading back into hazel/green....  
~~~~~~~~  
Heero was making his way towards the inn, he could see the wooden building   
from his current  
spot in the forest. All was quiet until he got closer. He could hear the   
sound of labored breathing  
and the sound of flesh connecting with wood as well as the occasional grunt   
of pain.  
  
He made his way towards the sound, being as quiet as possible so as not to   
be detected. He found  
a red-haired girl viciously attacking a large oak tree with her fists and   
feet which were both  
bleeding from the cuts and scrapes she'd received from hitting the hard   
bark.  
  
He looked her over, taking in every detail. That's when he noticed the   
platinum charm bracelet on  
her left wrist and the emerald hanging from the white gold.  
  
He took another step but this one made a little bit of noise.  
~~~~~~~~  
Cat whipped around at the noise, she'd had the distinct impression a few   
moments ago of being  
watched and now she was sure of it. She fell into a fighting stance and   
glared warily as the boy  
made his way out of the woods behind her.  
  
He was wearing a dark green tank top and a pair of faded jeans. He had short   
messy brown hair  
that fell into his deep cobalt blue eyes. He held his hands up for her   
inspection to show her that  
he meant no harm.  
  
"Who are you?" Cat asked raising slightly from her fighting position.  
  
"My name is Heero Yuy. I'm a Gundam pilot and I'm looking for some missing   
people. Maybe  
you could help me," the boy said in a deep monotone voice.  
************  
Ariel snapped awake. It was early morning. She gasped and ran back to the   
inn. Everyone was  
up and packing to leave. She froze when she noticed a new guy standing with   
the others. Cat  
introduced her.  
  
"Ariel, this is Heero. He came to find us under Sailor Pluto's orders."  
************  
"Damn it! That wench will pay dearly for what she's done!" Morkela screamed   
as Kwena  
bandaged his wounds.  
  
She gave him an almost imperceptible grin, liking the way things between him   
and Cherri were  
going.  
  
Tourm walked into the room. "You called for me?" he asked, bowing slightly.   
He was dressed in  
an orange shirt and green pants. He was tall and muscular, with brown hair   
and green eyes.  
  
"Yes Tourm. I have a job for you. I want you to find the girls, and be   
ready to attack them on  
my command. You may take a small group, ten maybe, those should be enough.   
I want all four,  
all five if you can find the fifth one. You got it?" Morkela asked in a   
nasty tone.  
  
Tourm nodded. "I will try," he said, then walked out of the room. He walked   
to his own room,  
closed the door behind him, and laid on the bed staring out the window. *If   
I complete this  
mission, I can see her in real life, instead of in my dreams. Too bad I   
have to take some of those  
monsters with me, and obey Morkela's commands. I despise him so much,* he   
thhought to  
himself as he fell asleep.  
***Begin Dream***  
He stood there, waiting for her to show. *Where is she? Has she chickened   
out?* he thought as  
he paced the floor of the room. Finally, she came into view.  
  
"Rubia!" he called out as he ran to her. She smiled and gave him a hug.  
  
"Have you been waiting long?" she asked.  
  
"No, but I was worried," he said, blushing slightly.  
  
"Where is it?" asked a deep voice from behind. They turned to see Morkela   
standing behind  
them, his cold eyes watching them.  
  
"Here," she said. She takes off her necklace, the source of her power, and   
walked over and  
handed it to him. He stared at it, grinning.  
  
"Remember your promise Morkela. We can live together in peace, since you   
have both our  
crystals," said Tourm, looking at Morkela suspiciously.  
  
"Of course." he said. She turned back to Tourm, smiling. Suddenly, Morkela   
pulled out his  
sword and stabbed her through the heart from behind. Her eyes looked at   
Tourm one last time,  
then closed as she fell.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed as he caught her, his hands bathed in her   
blood.  
He looked up at Morkela and saw him laughing. He looked back, and it's   
Ariel in his arms.  
  
"Not again. Not again!" he screamed.  
***End Dream***  
"No!" Tourm shouts as he bolts up into a sitting position on the bed. He's   
covered with a cold  
sweat, and breathing hard. He runs his hands through his hair quickly, then   
stands and walks  
over to the window, sitting on the sill. He looks up at the moon, knowing he   
won't fall asleep  
tonight and wishing that he had Ariel in his arms, where he knew she would   
be safe from harm.  
  



	19. Part 18

Crystal Magicians  
By: Anime's Angels  
Part Eighteen  
  
She... knew him. She KNEW him. Before Cat had even introduced him, Cherri   
had recognized  
this man.  
  
Heero Yuy.  
  
He was different, his eyes were colder than most and he looked like the word   
'comb' wasn't in his  
vocabulary.  
  
Then Ariel had dashed in, claiming that she had fallen asleep not once, but   
twice in the woods.  
  
The coms were back, but the two weeks they were out... the Queits had taken   
over most of the  
back of the solar system.  
  
Saff had told her. And Opal. They were who should have dealt with Morkela   
before it got out of  
hand. But, she cared about her allies...Opal could come back soon, if she   
could reach her  
maximum power.  
  
Looking at the stranger again, she was surprised to find him starring at   
her. It was... unnerving.  
And the fact that if Ryo caught him... it was true that Heero was the   
perfect solider, but she had  
seen Ryo in action... and she doubted Mr. Yuy would have a big chance of   
survival if Ryo took it  
the wrong way.  
  
"So, how's your wife? Er... girlfriend, you won't get married... oops...."   
Cherri realized, stopping  
before she could mess up the time continuum too much, though thinking, *Why   
bother, I'm here  
now, so it's basically screwed anyways.*  
  
No answer.  
  
"Figures" she replied. "I never got what Relena saw in you anyway. If coms   
are back, why can't  
we leave? I've got a friend who may die, and I KNOW our signal here isn't   
enough to stop her."  
  
Heero glared again, got up and walked out.  
  
"Hey! Where are you going?" she asked getting up and sliding to her door,   
watching the pilot of  
01 walk down the hall.  
  
"To get a shuttle. Make sure everyone's ready in 2 hours. Bye, Cherri."  
  
Cherri blinked. Twice. Then shook her head, smiling. Well, if she was   
correct about Relena,  
she'd be spitting fire... and she'd be there when they got picked up.   
Better pack up now.  
************  
Joe went flying from the small woman's powerful kick and landed hard on his   
side, the air  
rushing from his lungs. His eyes rolled around in his head for a while then   
came to focus on the  
smug look of the woman.  
  
JJ smirked leaning down and looking at him. "You were saying?" she asked.  
  
Joe got up some and shook his head. "So you're not weak because you're   
small," he muttered,  
his ego bruised. *Well small in height, not in other respects,* he thought.  
  
JJ was wearing a long, loose maroon skirt with high slits in the sides and a   
tight, slightly midriff  
top, with a normal neckline and sleeveless with a dragon going up the side.   
Her hair was pulled  
into a half pony tail with the front inch loose to hang in her face.  
  
She grinned. "Good!" she proclaimed standing back up and tossing her hair   
over her shoulders.  
  
It had been two days since she had nearly died saving the base, two days of   
doing nothing except  
sleeping. Now she was awake, better, and wanting to do something. So she   
did, proving to some  
great fighters that she was as good as them.  
  
With a bounce to her step that some of the men appreciated she walked to her   
bag and gathered  
her things up.  
  
"Where are you going?" Siegfried asked walking up to her.  
  
She smiled up at him. "To do some reading," she said. "I still have to   
figure out how to  
teleport." She smiled at him and Kilik and moved past them and out of the   
gym to her room.  
  
Siegfried watched her go and sighed. He looked over at Kilik and the other   
Soul Calibur fighters  
questioningly. They nodded.  
  
He turned to the others in the gym. "Well?" he asked simply.  
  
"Take her with us," Joe said rubbing his shoulder.  
  
"Take her with us," Lei said nursing a bruise on his chin.  
  
The others agreed, some of them nursing bruises on various parts of their   
anatomy.  
  
The Soul Calibur group grinned at each other.  
  
"Then lets go and talk to Mia," Seung Mina said bubbly.  
~~~~~~~~  
JJ pulled out the second book of the three she had, a journal with a purple   
cover, a large book in  
thick brown leather, and the book she had been researching her powers in.   
Written on the front  
was the title: Crystal Magician Volume Two - Amethyst.  
  
"Probably my great-grandmother," she muttered to herself. She ran her hand   
over the gold  
calligraphy and then opened it. On the front page was the figure of an   
Asian dragon, like the one  
on her pendant. Beneath it was a word, 'Taisanth'. She shrugged and turned   
the page. At the  
top corner was a small portrait that was obviously of Amethy. JJ marveled   
at how much they  
looked alike. Next to it was written: Amethy Hunter Born: November 9th   
Died: Unknown (27  
Years of Age)  
  
JJ blinked. "Huh." She continued reading.  
  
"This is what was said about me from other sources. Most of it is true, but   
like most writers who  
get their information from outside sources, some of it is wrong. All of my   
comments will be in  
parentheses. -Amethy Hunter  
  
She was born a royal lady to the Hunter family of great renown. (We were   
always an honorable  
bunch, with loud mouths of course.) At age 2 her father, Lord Eric, was   
killed."  
  
"ACK! That was my dad's name!" JJ shrieked. She continued reading.  
  
"(Actually he was murdered, but did anyone listen to me?) Her glorious   
mother, Lady Anila-"  
  
"Okay that's not my mom, but it is my middle name....."  
  
"-remarried. He was Sir Tristen, a knight of great honor. (He was at   
that!) He loved his wife's  
daughter and only child and was kind to her."  
  
"Okay not like my life."  
  
"He could see in her her desire to learn defense and taught her how to   
fight. (He was a good  
teacher and I believe I was worthy of his teachings.)  
  
Eventually war came to the land and he was called away to fight. (I cried   
so hard when he left,  
but that was when I was alone, I wasn't going to act helpless before my   
mother and our people.)  
  
The war was over a mysterious artifact that had fallen from the sky. The   
mages of the world  
could sense the power of the artifact, and how it surpassed a combination of   
all of their powers  
five fold. (Ah yes, the asteroid that carried the jewels....)  
  
Sir Triste died in that battle and soon her mother died in child birth,   
giving birth to their child, a  
son named Christophe. (He was a sweet and honorable brother....)  
  
The war ended when the mysterious artifact vanished.  
  
Amethy was 13 and was expected to take a husband soon to pass on the title   
of Lord of Crenshib  
on to. (Like hell I was! Damn whining and proud bastards! Please forgive   
me if I have offended  
anyone.) She refused. (Ha! I basically told those old stuff shirts to   
stuff it!) When one was  
chosen for her (I punched out the man who told me) she ran away, abdicating   
her position and  
leaving it for her brother.  
  
She began wondering around the lands and soon came upon an old man who was   
being attacked.  
(I hate bullies!) She saved him and drove the bullies off. (I made sure one   
of them would be  
speaking soprano for a while!) As a gift of thank you he gave her an   
amethyst pendant with a  
silk pouch with a jade dragon figurine in it and disappeared.  
  
Amethy continued traveling learning through her dreams how to use her   
powers. (When a large  
dragon appears in your dreams and you get into arguments about how to do   
things, it can get a  
little weird....) She eventually met up with Sapphirine and eventually   
others with stones until  
they numbered 21.  
  
Within the 21 there was a man with the jewel turquoise, Quo Wolkd. (I hope   
I never see him  
again! The sniveling fool!) They fell in love and were to be married.   
(Liar! Liar! Liar! Damn  
historian get your facts right!!!) Some thing happened and they drifted   
apart. (He was a sex-  
crazed maniac who turned out to have a hidden harem!!! I'm glad I nearly   
turned him into a  
girl!)  
  
Eventually conflicts arose regarding the marriage of the leader of the Nine,   
Sapphirine to a man  
most of the council did not approve of. The Nine separated and fighting for   
control over the  
jewels broke out. (And me telling Morkela to take his whining and shoving   
it where the sun  
doesn't shine didn't help much either....)  
  
Five men from another dimension came to help them, Hariel being one, and a   
young man Odin  
Schtauffen. (Honorable, handsome, romantic, and with a temper and   
stubbornness to match  
mine (but he had more control over it then I did....). He also had a   
calming affect on me.)  
  
They fell in love. (I've never been so happy....) During the battles he   
was killed saving her. (My  
heart broke and my soul and dreams shattered.) She disappeared from the   
battle field with the  
body and was never seen again.  
  
"Now it's my turn to fill in what happened. I'm sorry for abandoning my   
friends, but I couldn't  
go on. I teleported myself and Odin to his world where I was about ready to   
kill myself to be  
with him. I nearly succeeded when a kind old woman found me and healed me,   
and told me I  
was with child. I had a son, Trenton Hunter. I raised him to be honorable   
and strong like both of  
his parents. After he was born I banished my jewel to the Four Winds and   
the Continuum, never  
to see it again. And this is where I leave off. If you have this book, you   
probably have the jewel.  
Don't turn away from it, accept it my blood relation, and use it for good.   
Amethy Hunter"  
  
JJ stared and closed the book, not really feeling as if she could go on.   
She sighed and rested her  
head against the wall, sitting cross-legged on the bed the book in her lap.  
  
A knock sounded on her door.  
  
"Come in," she answered absently.  
  
Siegfried opened the door and closed it after him. He looked at the girl on   
the bed and cleared  
his throat, waiting to be acknowledged.  
  
"Hello Siegfried. What is it?" she asked looking at him. She suddenly   
became very aware of his  
eyes, his shining blue-green eyes.  
  
"I have good news. Mia says you can come with us to Earth."  
************  
Cat just stared at Cherri for a moment. What was with her? She had been   
really rude to Heero  
and he'd done absolutely nothing to her. And had she meant when she'd said   
that her best-friend  
could die? She hadn't told any of them anything of the sort. Cherri turned   
to looked her in the  
eyes then, seeming to sense the red-head's gaze.  
  
They both stared for a moment, neither looking away, neither blinked, both   
refusing to give in to  
the other.  
  
"Well, guess that means we should go pack!" Aurora said brightly breaking   
the unnoticed staring  
contest between Cherri and Cat.  
  
They both blinked. Once. Twice. They both looked away and made they're way   
up to their room  
to gather they're stuff.  
~~~~~~~~  
Heero was glaring at the ground as he made his way towards his Gundam. His   
mind was  
spinning. *Why had she done that? Why had she felt the need to rile him by   
bringing up Relena  
in the first five seconds that they'd met?* his brain pondered as he flew   
the bird shaped Gundam  
back to the base.  
~~~~~~~~  
Cat packed in silence as the others chatted happily. She was still fuming   
about her incompetence  
this morning. She wanted to punch something.  
  
She looked down at her hands. Her knuckles were scrapped raw and were still   
bleeding a bit. The  
skin was torn pretty deep. She gave a little half smile at the sight and the   
thought that had  
accompanied it. No one had noticed the wounds on her hands or on her bare   
feet for that matter.  
She clenched her fist, letting the pain of the movement flow through her.   
She kinda liked the feel  
of it. Clenching her hand had caused the skin to rip a bit more and reopened   
some of the small  
wounds that had started to heal already. Blood started to shimmer in the   
cuts and she unclenched  
her hand, now stretching it to relieve the kinks in it. She had small   
delicate hands with long  
fingers, the hands of an artist as her grandmother used to tell her. Not the   
hands of a fighter...She  
clenched her fist again and glared at the hand before returning to her   
packing.  
~~~~~~~~  
Two hours later, Heero returned. Everyone was packed up and ready to go. He   
glanced around  
the group picking up the little differences.  
  
Everyone had changed out of they're pyjamas and two of the girls had tied up   
they're hair.  
Cherri's long locks were now tied in a ponytail and Cat's red mane was tied   
into two braids. Cat  
also now had bandages on her hands and feet.  
  
"Ready to go?" the blue-eyed soldier asked.  
  
He was answered by nods and 'yes's so he nodded in return and exited from   
the door he had just  
entered. The group followed.  
  
They made they're way to the small shuttle that had been landed near the   
mountain pass they'd  
visited the previous day. They all entered the small craft and Heero took   
the pilot's seat. They  
took off and headed in the direction of the base. Most of the group was   
chatting happily about  
anything and everything but a few stayed quiet, choosing to gaze out the   
small port-hole windows  
along the sides of the craft.  
  
Two pairs of green eyes stared at the expanse of land below them. One pair   
had hazel mixed in  
with the olive green while the other pair was a deep forest green with   
flecks of emerald in them.  
~~~~~~~~  
Forty-five minutes later, the group landed on the runway in front of the   
large base. They all got  
out and were led to they're respective rooms. Since the girls were the only   
ones who didn't have  
rooms already, they were taken to two empty rooms, each one had two beds.   
Cat went into one of  
them and looked out the window. Cherri followed her.  
  
"I like this one," Cat said.  
  
"Me too," Cherri said as she looked around the spacious dorm.  
  
"Okay then, we'll take the other one then," Ariel said with a smile as she   
and Aurora walked into  
the room beside them. All of the men, with the exception of they're guide   
Heero, had gone off to  
report back to Relena Peacecraft and, in Kenshin's case, Kaoru Kamiya.  
  
"You guys are free to look around until six. That's when you meet with Ms.   
Peacecraft. Just ask  
anyone you see for directions, they'll take you straight to her," Heero said   
in a flat monotone  
voice before also going off to report back to the unofficial leader.  
  
The girls unpacked and within five minutes, all four of them were sitting in   
Cherri and Cat's  
room.  
  
"So, what do you guys want to do?" Aurora asked as she sat beside Cherri on   
her bed. Cat was  
sitting in the window looking outside and Ariel went to sit on Cat's bed.  
  
"I'm going to the gym. I want to get some more working out done today, I   
haven't practiced my  
kick boxing or boxing for that matter in a while and I'm getting rusty."   
With that she got up from  
her spot and grabbed her small gym bag from her larger school bag.  
  
"I told Ryo I'd meet him in the fencing room. He said I need to learn some   
moves in case I get  
caught in another sword fight," Cherri told them, also getting her gym   
clothing.  
  
"I was hoping to just look around for a while. This place is so big and   
imagine all the stuff they  
must have," Ariel said her eyes lighting up at the prospect of adventure.  
  
"Sounds good. I'll go with you Ariel, I also want to get a better look at   
this place," Aurora said.  
  
The four girls made they're way towards the door. Cat and Cherri went right,   
following the signs  
that let towards the workout rooms and Ariel and Aurora went left in search   
of adventure.  
~~~~~~~~  
Cat and Cherri reached the gym and went into the changing rooms. Cherri   
emerged wearing a  
loose, white tee-shirt and a pair of blue shorts with white running shoes on   
her feet and her hair  
tied in it's usual ponytail and made her way towards the fencing room. Cat   
came out wearing a  
pair of spandex shorts and a sports bra. Her feet, fists and forearms were   
wrapped in boxing  
gauze and her hair was tied into a tight bun. She made her way towards the   
punching bags,  
Stretching out like a cat before taking on the heaviest one.  
************  
"What have you to report?" Morkela asked coldly as Tourm entered the room.  
  
"They seem to have gone to a large base not too far from the inn. It's well   
armed and protected.  
We would have to do a full scale attack to even get in there, let alone get   
the four girls. We still  
have not located the fifth girl," Tourm said in a low voice.  
  
Morkela pounded his fist on his chair. "Damn it! They move too fast! Is   
there any way that you  
can use your powers to slip in unnoticed?" Morkela asked angrily. Tourm   
nodded.  
  
"My invisibility spell can get me in, but it can't last for that long. I   
have another plan though. I  
can stage a fight between some Queits and I and win, but it turns out to be   
quite costly. They will  
take me in, thinking that I'm an ally. Then I can get the girls and be back   
here as soon as I can,"  
he said, hoping Morkela would agree to it.  
  
"Fine, just as long as you don't hurt the girls. Especially not Cherri,   
that is the job I want to do  
myself," he said evilly, smiling. The smile sent chills down Tourm's back.  
  
"I'm off," he said, and he turned away from the evil smile quickly. He   
headed out to his ship, and  
took a few Queits with him.  
~~~~~~~~  
"Wow, this place is huge," Ariel breathed as Aurora and her began to wander   
through the base.  
  
"I agree. I bet no one ever gets bored here," she said, smiling at some hot   
guys going through  
fighting drills. They walked along for a good couple of hours, just   
looking. Finally, it was 5  
o'clock.  
  
"Well, I'm heading back to our room and may head to the gym then take a   
shower before meeting  
Ms. Peacecraft at six. Care to join me?" Aurora asked, yawning.  
  
"Nyah, but thanks for the offer. I may head out and take a quick walk   
around the base. Don't  
worry though, I'll be back in time to meet with Ms. Peacecraft," Ariel said,   
grinning.  
  
Aurora grinned back. "Alright. Don't go finding trouble!" she shouted over   
her shoulder as she  
headed back to their room.  
  
Ariel began to walk to the gates, and walked outside of them after passing   
through security tests.  
She begin to head to the nearby trees, hoping that she would be able to see   
birds or something.  
~~~~~~~~  
Tourm landed his ship far away from the base and slipped into the forest,   
the Queits following  
him. He found a clearing not far from the base inside the forest, and   
stopped.  
  
"Make it quick. Don't hurt me too badly, or otherwise this plan will fail,"   
he told the Queits.  
They surrounded him, then began to attack. He shouted in pain and fell to   
his knees.  
~~~~~~~~  
Ariel was walking along, listening to the sounds of the beautiful birds when   
she heard it, a shout  
of pain.  
  
*What was that?* she thought. She heard it again. *I think that's trouble!   
Great! Sorry Aurora!*  
she thought as she rushed towards the sound.  
  
She entered the clearing, and saw three Queits attacking a young man, who   
could no longer  
defend himself. "Get away from him you demons from another world!" she   
shouted.  
  
They turned to look at her, firing their lasers, almost hitting her. She   
jumped out of the way just  
in time as they began to attack again. Ariel gasped in pain as she was hit   
in the arm. It wasn't  
that bad, but it hurt badly. It made Ariel mad. "You're getting it now!   
Eat flames demons!" she  
shouted as she got to her feet. She raised her hand over her head, then   
drew a huge circle with it  
in the air.  
  
"PHOENIX FIRE WALL!"  
  
A wall of flame, five feet high, surrounded the three Queits, burning them.   
They made a horrible  
noise of pain, then disappeared.  
  
Ariel rush over to the man, lying on the ground bleeding. She helped him   
up, and they slowly  
headed back to the base.  
************  
*I am a rock, I am and island.....  
and a rock feels no pain  
and an island never cries....*  
  
The simple songs filter through her head. She enjoyed the rock of the   
seventies and late sixties,  
despite what her friends thought.  
  
*At least they knew how to play,* Cherri scoffed, thinking about Ariel's   
hang up on boy bands.  
  
*Tell her to find me an acre of land  
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thime*  
  
Simon and Garfunkle, the Moody Blues, Rolling Stones, CCR, the Beatles...   
sure, she loved  
modern, pop, 80's, everything -but rap and really heavy metal, but she loved   
the older stuff.  
  
Goes from having older parents, she guessed.  
  
Cherri worked out on one of the ski machines, the pace leaving her   
breathless, but working some  
of the kinks out of the work out she just had.  
  
Fencing was hard. A samurai sword was easier to work with, but until she   
could do them  
*perfectly* with a foil, Ryo wouldn't allow her to move up.  
  
*Ah....* she thought, *Led Zeppelin!* She started to mouth the words,   
silently as the music  
played on, each of her silent words exactly in time with that of the   
vocalist.  
  
*And Matchbox 20 is next up!*  
  
She was the original music addict.  
~~~~~~~~  
Relena paced. This... this memo... from one of the girl had been sent,   
secretly, to her - asking her  
to stop Mia's shuttle at the Lunar Base. It was enough to peak her   
curiosity, and so the Vice  
Foreign Minister had them land.  
  
The girl had mention a possible crash due to landing failure.  
  
And sure enough, most of the landing equipment had been cut - by some  
one on board. It had to of. So whom.  
  
She didn't know the girl, but she would meet them - minus one - at six. She   
hoped that they  
could band together. Heero said one was rather edgy, and had used on of the   
terminals on the  
plane. Relena assumed that it was the one who sent her the info.  
  
Over all, Heero trusted them, though he wondered what had happened that made   
that one girl so  
eager to move.  
  
It was only four 'o clock. The meeting was a six.  
  
This was going to be a long wait.  
~~~~~~~~  
"I'm just a girl.  
I'm just a girl, in the world.  
That's all that you let me  
BBBBBBBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"  
  
Cherri sang - her voice not as bad as her friends claimed, and better when   
she wasn't  
concentrating about it - her head bopping up and down as she went around her   
closed room,  
alone since Sano had swept Cat somewhere, picking up.  
  
She transferred her mp3 plug in chip into the GREAT stereo system that she   
had. It took... like...  
everything! CD's, records, tapes, mp3's... EVERYTHING!  
  
"I'm just a girl  
Lucky me!  
Tweedle dumb,  
there's no  
comparison"  
  
Ryo knocked.  
  
"WHHOOOAAAAAHHH!"  
  
He knocked louder.  
  
"OOOOOOAAAAHHHH"  
  
He banged on the door  
  
"I've had it up to... here...."  
  
Cherri ran over to the door, sweeping it open, just as Ryo banged again,   
effectually hitting her on  
her head.  
  
"OWWW!" she exclaimed, rubbing her head.  
  
"Sorry, baberella. Ariel's got some guy she wants you to meet before we all   
boogie over to see  
Relena. Jeeze, I'm talking like YOU do. You're a bad influence," he said,   
flopping over to her  
bed, as she cranked her WONDERFUL stereo down. "So, you going?" he called   
after her as she  
went into the changing area of the bathroom.  
  
"Probably...." she said with a grunt. "After all, ugh... I mean, I kind of   
have to, no?" she asked,  
coming back out, her hair brushed and braided for a change, her jeans and   
yet another of *his*  
shirts.  
  
"Where do you keep getting those from with out me noticing?"  
  
"*I* don't. Kento gets them for me!" she said with a grin. "Come on, I   
want to talk to Rora first,  
see if she's going."  
~~~~~~~~  
Aurora continued to look around amazed. She had met up with Cat and Sano,   
only to let them  
alone.  
  
WHY did she seem to be the only one alone? It was a little frustrating...   
now she knew how  
Cherri felt back on Earth, their Earth, when they all had boyfriends.  
  
Spotting Cye, she suddenly didn't feel so alone. He was a friend, and a   
friend was better than no  
friend at all.  
  
Cye looked over, spotting Rora. "Hey!" he called, running up. "Cherri's   
looking for ya! Turns  
out that Ariel found some guy out there and she was wanting to get ya all   
together."  
  
"Kay. I have no idea where Cat went though."  
  
Cye gave her look that said 'yah, we don't know WHERE they are but we know   
WHAT they are  
probably up to' "Ahw, I'm sure they are fine. Probably in *capable* hands.   
Of course, we don't  
know that."  
  
His facial expressions, in combination with his words and accent, made Rora   
laugh.  
  
He stuck out his elbow, and thickening his accent, "Well, I think we should   
be off. Right, right,  
Cheerio, Cheerio!"  
  
Her eyes watering from laughing so hard, she linked arms, explaining somehow   
that Cheerios  
where cereal, where Cheerio was a greeting. Somehow, life wasn't so boring   
anymore.  



End file.
